The Cambridge IELTS Course

CAMBRIDGE
EXAMINATIONS
PUBLISHING
The Cambridge IELTS Course
Updated Edition
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE
EXAMINATIONS
PUBLISHING
Vanessa Jakeman and Clare McDowell
I
Insight into
IELTS
Updated edition
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
Ruiz de Alarcon 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
http://www.cambridge.org
© Cambridge University Press 1999
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1999
Updated edition 2001
Fourth printing 2002
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
Text typeface Utopia 10.5/13pt System QuarkXPress®
ISBN 0 521 01148 5 Student's Book
ISBN 0 521 62660 9 Cassette
Cover design and graphic by Tim Elcock
Contents
INTRODUCTION
THE LISTENING MODULE
Introduction 7
UNIT 1 Orientating yourself to the text 8
Who are The speakers?
Where are they?
Why are they speaking?
UNIT 2 Listening for specific information 10
What are the key words?
IELTS Section 1 task -
table and note completion
IELTS Section 1 task -
form filling
UNIT 3 Identifying detail 14
When do we need to listen
for detail?
IELTS Section 1 task -
multiple-choice pictures
UNIT 4 Identifying main ideas 16
What are the speakers
talking about?
What are the main ideas and
how are they are developed?
IELTS Section 2 task -
multiple choice and note
completion
UNIT 5 Seeing beyond the surface
meaning 19
What does the speaker mean
exactly?
How can we interpret
intonation?
UNIT Б Following signpost words 22
What are 'signpost words'?
How do they help us to
understand?
IELTS Section 3 task -
note completion and labelling
a diagram
UNIT 7 Being aware of stress, rhythm 25
and intonation
How do intonation and word
stress help us to understand?
IELTS Section 4 task -following a
flow chart
IELTS Section 4 task -
table/flow chart completion and
multiple choice
THE READING MODULE
Introduction
UNIT 1 Orientating yourself to the text
Titles and sub-headings
Paragraphs
UNIT 2
UNIT 3
UNIT 4
UNIT 5
UNIT 6
UNIT 7
UNIT 8
UNIT 9
Skimming/scanning for specific
information and detail
28
29
33
Short-answer questions
IELTS task - labelling a diagram
IELTS task - chart/table completion
Identifying main and supporting 38
ideas
Multiple choice
IELTS task - multiple choice
IELTS task - note-taking
Improving global reading skills
Paragraph headings
IELTS task - paragraph headings
Summarising
Completing a summary
Understanding paraphrase
42
46
Understanding argument 49
Argument or fact?
IELTS task - identifying arguments
IELTS task - matching
Identifying opinion/attitude and 53
making inferences
Fact, opinion or claim?
IELTS task - Yes/No/Not given
IELTS task - Multiple choice
The General Training module, 57
Section 1
Multiple choice
IELTS task - True/False/Not given
IELTS task - matching
The General Training module, 62
Section 2
IELTS task - matching
IELTS task - paragraph headings
THE WRITING MODULE THE SPEAKING MODULE
Introduction
UNIT 1 Describing facts and figures
Bar charts
Pie charts
Tables
66
67
UNIT 2 Describing trends 69
Line graphs
Examining the axes
UNIT 3 Summarising data 73
Selecting important information
Comparing data
Grouping information
UNIT 4 Describing a process 76
IELTS Task 1
UNIT 5 General Training, Task 1 78
The task
The purpose
Explaining the situation
UNIT 6 General Training, Task 1 contd 80
The message
IELTS Task 1
UNIT 7 Academic and General Training, 82
Task 2
Understanding the instructions
Approaching the task
Forming ideas
UNIT 8 Planning a structure 85
Organising ideas
The introduction
The conclusion
UNIT 9 Introducing topics and main ideas 88
Expressing views
Making concessions
Refuting an argument
Defining/explaining
UNIT 10 Developing an argument 91
Making the main argument clear
Providing support
UNIT 11 Writing your answer 93
Writing coherently
Building complex sentences
Introduction 96
UNIT 1 Part one of the Speaking test - 98
the interview
Becoming more fluent
Willingness to participate and
expand
More practice for part one
UNIT 2 Part two of the Speaking test - 102
the long turn
Preparing your talk
Explaining how you feel - now
and then
More practice for part two
Giving short answers to the
follow-up questions
UNIT 3 Part three of the Speaking test - 106
the discussion
Exploring the theme
Producing a reasoned response
More practice for part three
SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES
Listening 109
Reading 111
Writing 115
Speaking 122
IELTS PRACTICE TEST
Listening 127
Academic Reading 133
Academic Writing 144
General Training Reading 146
General Training Writing 157
Speaking 159
RECORDING SCRIPT
ANSWER KEY
SAMPLE ANSWER SHEETS 190
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Introduction
WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
Insight into IELTS has been designed as a course book for an IELTS preparation
course. However, it is equally appropriate as a self-study resource book for students
wishing to improve their IELTS skills on their own as it contains helpful advice,
sample IELTS material throughout the units and detailed answer keys.
The book is appropriate both for learners seeking to enter an English-speaking
university, school or college, as well as for people who may need to provide an IELTS
score for the purposes of immigration to an English-speaking country. The book is
targeted at students of approximately Band 6 level; however, the earlier units in each
section are designed for lower-level learners or students not familiar with the IELTS
test format, while the later units are intended to stretch the stronger candidates
beyond their immediate IELTS needs and enhance their language skills overall.
CONTENT OF THE BOOK
The book consists of four parts:
• Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking sections
• Supplementary activities for each unit
• A complete practice test
• Recording Script and Answer Key
Taken as a whole, the book contains ample classroom-based material within the units
for a preparation course of between 40 and 50 hours. When used with the
Supplementary activities which accompany each unit, the material will last much
longer.
The first part of the book is divided into four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and
Speaking, to reflect the format of the test, and these are broken down into manageable
units. Each section begins with an overview of the IELTS test and students who work
their way through the book will become familiar with all question types and tasks that
they are likely to meet in the test. The skills covered are not restricted to test-taking
strategies alone but also reflect the broader range of language that students will
encounter in an English-speaking environment, whether at university or in the wider
community.
The units contain class and pair activities and the opportunity for individual practice.
Teachers may choose to work systematically through each section, taking advantage
of the graded approach, or, alternatively, select material to suit their learners' needs
as required.
The Supplementary activities can be used to expand the units as follow-up work in
class or as homework exercises. For students working on their own, they provide
further opportunity to practise and consolidate the language covered in each unit or
they can help students to structure their revision schedule once they have covered
the units in the first part of the book.
Introduction
The final part of the book offers a full practice IELTS test which is accompanied by a
band conversion table (on page 189) to allow students to assess their approximate
level in the Reading and Listening sections from their performance in this test.
A Recording Script is provided for the Listening units and the Listening part of the
practice test and this is annotated to show where the answers are located in the text.
A thorough Answer Key is provided for all sections of the book, including the practice
test. The Key provides a framework of support to ensure that students can receive
feedback on all activities and exercises undertaken. It includes a selection of model
Band 9 answers to a number of the writing questions. We would like to stress that
these model answers represent only a sample of the many possible ways of
approaching the writing tasks, but we hope that learners will find them a useful guide.
ABOUT THE TEST
There are two versions of the IELTS test.
Academic Module
for students seeking entry to a
university or institution of higher
education offering degree and
diploma courses
General Training Module
for students seeking entry to a secondary
school, to vocational training courses or
for people taking the IELTS test for
immigration purposes
Note: All candidates must take a test for each of the four skills: listening, reading,
writing and speaking. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking modules
but may choose between the Academic or General Training versions of the Reading
and Writing sections of the test. You should seek advice from a teacher or a student
adviser if you are in any doubt about whether to sit for the Academic module or the
General Training module.
The two do not carry the same weight and are not interchangeable.
TEST FORMAT
Listening
4 sections, 40 questions
30 minutes + 10 minutes transfer time
Academic Reading
3 sections, 40 questions
60 minutes
Academic Writing
2 tasks
60 minutes
General Training Reading
OR 3 sections, 40 questions
60 minutes
General Training Writing
OR 2 tasks
60 minutes
Speaking
11 to 14 minutes
Total test time
2 hours 55 minutes
GENERAL LISTENING
STRATEGIES
When you go to university you will have
to interact with many different people in
a number of situations. The IELTS
Listening test is designed to reflect some
of these real-world listening situations.
The level of difficulty increases through
the paper and there is a range of topics
and tasks which test your comprehension
skills, e.g. listening for specific
information, such as dates and place
names, listening for detail, understanding
gist and understanding speaker
attitude/opinion. As you work your way
through the Listening units of this book,
you will be introduced to a wide range of
IELTS question types and additional
exercises to help improve your overall
listening strategies.
LISTENING FOR IELTS
Listening Test Format
Section 1: A conversation between two speakers in a social or
semi-official context.
Section 2: A talk by a single speaker based on a non-academic
situation.
Section 3: A conversation with up to four speakers based on
academic topics or course-related situations.
Section 4: A university-style lecture or talk.
The Listening test is the first part of the IELTS examination and
takes place at the beginning of the day. It takes about 40
minutes and consists of four recorded sections, each covering a
different type of language and context. There are 10 questions
in each section and you will be given time to read these
questions before you listen to each part. As you will hear each
recording once only it is very important to understand exactly
what you are being asked to do in each question. The question
types vary and focus on a variety of different listening skills. For
example, some questions involve completing a form, chart or
diagram, others require you to select pictures which represent
what you have heard. In addition there are note-taking exercises
and multiple-choice questions. All aspects of the Listening test,
as well as additional skills, are covered in this book.
Listening
Orientating yourself to the text
Who are the speakers?
Where are they?
Why are they speaking?
In order to understand what people are saying, it helps
to know what their relationship is to each other and to
you as the listener.
The language we choose to use will depend on our
relationship to the other speakers, e.g. we use different
language to talk to a family member as opposed to a
teacher or a salesperson. Knowing the context of a
conversation also helps us to understand the language
because it helps us to anticipate what the speakers
are going to talk about.
Pre-listening
Look at the following pictures. Try to work
out who the people are, where they are and
why they are speaking to each other.
Can you imagine what they are saying? Write
some words in the speech balloons.
How did you decide what the people were saying?
Compare what you have written with your partner.
Listening UNIT 1
EXTRACT 1
Listen to Unit 1, Extract 1. There are ten short conversations and one example. As
you listen, complete the table to show who the speakers are and why they are
speaking. The first one has been done as an example.
Follow-up: Spoken and written language
Make a list of the types of language you hear spoken every day both in your own
language and in English. Divide the list into two columns showing language which
is spontaneous or unprepared and language which was probably written to be read
out loud. Then discuss the questions below with a partner.
11 What are the main differences between spoken language and language which was
written to be read out loud? Is it harder to understand one than the other?
12 Why is it more difficult to understand people when they speak on the telephone?
How is this similar to listening to a recorded conversation?
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 109,
Listening
UNIT 2 Listening for specific information
What are the key words?
What type of words are they?
Sometimes when we listen, we are only interested in
finding out very specific information such as dates and
times, names or key words.
It helps us to understand, if we can work out what kind
of words we are listening for.
EXTRACT 1
Look at the telephone message pad below. It comes from a house where a number
of students live together.
Discuss what information you need to listen out for in each message. If possible,
write what type of word that is in the right-hand column.
Listen to Unit 2, Extract 1 and complete the task.
Listening UNIT 2
EXTRACT 2
IELTS Listening Section 1 Table and note completion
In Section 1 of the IELTS Listening test you will hear a dialogue. One of the
speakers may be seeking factual information such as names or dates which
you will have to identify or note down. Alternatively you may have to select
the right picture, fill in a form or complete some notes.
Before you listen, look at the task below and decide what sort of information
you are listening for.
Answer the questions as you listen.
Questions 1-10
Complete the table and the notes below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for
each answer.
Jetty No. 2 is situated (8)
The commentary is in (9)
The lady recommends that they (10)
How to approach the task
Listening UNIT 2
IELTS Listening Section 1 Form filling
An IELTS Listening section will often contain more than one type of task, e.g.
multiple choice and gap filling.
How to approach the task
Look at the task below, which consists of a form with some information
missing. Try to work out the possible context of the language from the task.
Who could the speakers be? Why are they speaking?
What role will you be playing when you complete the task? What sort of
information will you be listening for?
You only hear the extract once in the real test, so read the questions carefully
before you listen.
Questions 1-10
Listen to the telephone conversation and complete the form below. Write NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer.
EXTRACT 3
Listening UNIT 2
Follow-up
Look at the three forms below. Choose one and write a short dialogue to
accompany it. Imagine that one of the speakers in your dialogue is asking
questions and completing the form. Make sure that your dialogue includes enough
information to allow the listener to complete the form.
Read your dialogue to two other classmates. They must complete the form while
they listen.
The Key Language
Student Enrolment Detail
For further practice, do
the Supplementary activity
on page 109.
Listening
UNIT3 Identifying detail
When do we need to listen for
detail?
Why is detail important?
If someone is describing an object like an umbrella, it is
the detail in the description, such as the colour or a
reference to the shape, which allows us to differentiate
it from another umbrella. So we need to listen carefully
for the words which describe the detail.
Pre-listening
• Look at the pictures of the umbrellas, which are similar but not the same, and
describe one to your partner. Is it clear which umbrella you are describing? These
words may help you: spots, stripes, handle, curved, straight, point, pointed.
EXTRACT 1
IELTS Listening Section 1 Multiple-choice pictures
How to approach the task
- Look at the task on the following page. In each case there is a question
followed by three pictures. Try to work out the possible context of the
language from the words in the questions and the pictures.
- Decide what information you should listen out for.
- Answer the questions as you listen.
Listening UNIT 3
Questions 1-6
Circle the appropriate letter.
Example What was Jill's
job in Hong Kong?
1 Which picture
shows Gerry?
2 Where were Gerry
and Sue married?
3 Which picture shows
Sue's sister's children?
4 What time should Jill
arrive for dinner?
5 What type of
accommodation
docs Sue live in?
6 Which bell must
you press?
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 109.
Listening
UNIT4 Identifying main ideas
What are the speakers talking
about?
What are the main ideas and how
are they developed?
When we take part in a conversation or listen to other
people, we subconsciously separate the information that
we need or that interests us from the rest of what we
hear. In other words, we separate the main ideas from
the supporting detail. Sometimes people use an
introductory phrase to attract our attention and to give
some clue to the topic.
EXTRACT 1
Look at the chart below. You will see that the situation and speakers have already
been identified. Try to guess what the speakers might say from this information.
This is not always possible. Why?
Listen to Unit 4, Extract 1 and make a note of the words used by the first speaker to
attract attention. Write this in the Introductory phrase column.
Listen to the extract a second time and fill in the rest of the grid, briefly noting the
topic and showing how the speakers develop this topic. The first one has been done
for you as an example.
Listening UNIT 4
Follow-up
Work with a partner. Select one of the pictures from the group of pictures below.
Decide on a topic for the characters in the picture you have chosen.
Write a short dialogue (4-5 lines) to accompany the picture. Try to write an
appropriate introductory phrase or greeting for the first speaker.
Act out the dialogue to two other classmates. Could they guess which picture it
matches?
EXTRACT 2
In Section 2 of the IELTS Listening test you will hear one person giving a talk on
a topic of general interest. As well as listening for specific information, you may
be asked to interpret the speaker's ideas. You will therefore need to follow the talk
carefully and be prepared to separate the main ideas from the supporting detail.
How to approach the task
- Look at the questions below and try to work out from the vocabulary used
what the topic is.
- Now read the questions carefully to find out what sort of information you
need to listen out for,
- Underline in pencil the important words in the multiple-choice questions
before you listen. This will help to focus your listening,
- Answer the questions as you listen.
Questions 1-5
Circle the correct answer.
1 The weekly radio programme is on
A topics suggested by listeners.
B local news items.
C listeners' hobbies.
Listening UNIT 4
2 The process of stamp production is
A difficult.
B expensive.
C time consuming.
3 In the search for suitable subjects, people are invited to
A research a number of topics.
B give an opinion on possible topics.
C produce a list of topics.
4 Topics are sent for final approval to
A a group of graphic artists.
B the Board of Directors.
C a designers' committee.
5 Australian artists receive money
A only if the stamp goes into circulation.
B for the design only.
C for the design and again if it is used.
Questions 6-8
Complete the notes using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Questions 9-10
Circle the correct answer.
9 The speaker says that
many people produce designs for stamps.
few people are interested in stamp design,
people will never agree about stamp design.
10 The speaker suggests that
stamps play an important role in our lives.
too much attention is devoted to stamp production.
stamps should reflect a nation's character.
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 110.
Listening
UNIT 5 Seeing beyond the surface meaning
What does the speaker mean
exactly?
How can we interpret intonation?
People do not always say exactly what they mean. As
listeners we must learn to interpret the words people
use as well as their intonation patterns. In this unit, we
will investigate some ways of seeing beyond the surface
meaning of spoken language while following a
conversation.
Pre-listening
• Look at the following sentence: / thought the assignment was due in on Thursday.
• Try saying it in three different ways, to produce three different meanings.
What are the three meanings? Discuss these with your partner.
• Try creating a similar short statement. See if you can vary the meaning by changing
the word stress.
• Read your statements to your partner. Can you hear the differences in meaning?
EXTRACT 1
Look at the chart below and note the headings of the different columns.
Listen to Unit 5, Extract 1, which consists of an example and eight short,
independent dialogues. As you listen, answer the focus question Yes or No.
Discuss what indicators or language features helped you to interpret the real
meaning of the speakers.
Listening UNIT 5
Pre-listening
Look at the three posters advertising a student debate,
Discuss what each of the posters means. Ask your teacher to explain their possible
meaning if this is not clear. In these three cases, there are two possible sides to each
argument.
Make a list of things which could be said on either side of the argument for each
poster. This will help you to understand Extract 2.
Report back to the class.
EXTRACT 2
In Section 3 of the IELTS Listening test you will have to follow a conversation
with more than two speakers. In this extract you will hear a conversation
between three friends who live in a student house together, Richard, Sue and
Frank. They are having a conversation about how the government should spend
public money. There are two tasks to accompany this listening extract.
Task l
• Listen to the conversation. As you listen, complete the grid below by placing a / in
the box next to the name of the speakers each time they speak. Which of them
speaks most often?
Listening UNIT 5
Task 2
Now look at the questions below. Read them through carefully and underline any
words that you think will help to focus your listening.
Listen to the extract a second time and circle the correct answer for each question.
The person at the door is
looking for work,
asking for money.
looking for the hospital.
visiting her friends.
Frank thinks the hospital should be
financed by
local residents.
a special health tax.
the state.
private companies.
Richard thinks Sue's view on hospital
funding is
acceptable.
predictable.
uninteresting.
unreasonable.
Sue's attitude towards the
government's spending is
disapproving.
indifferent.
understanding.
impartial.
Frank thinks that space research
is only for scientists,
is moving too slowly.
has practical benefits.
has improved recently.
In talking about space travel, Frank
displays his pessimism.
reveals an ambition.
makes a prediction.
refers to a book.
Sue thinks work is important
because it
reduces the levels of crime.
gives individuals pride in
themselves.
helps people find homes.
reduces the need for charity.
Richard's overall attitude is
helpful.
bitter.
disinterested.
sarcastic.
For further practice based on this extract, do the Supplementary activity on
page 110.
Listening
Following signpost words
What are 'signpost words'?
How do they help us to understand?
Good public speakers and lecturers illustrate the stages
of their talk through the use of 'signpost words'. Being
able to identify and follow the signpost words will help
you to understand formal spoken English.
Pre-listening
As with writing, speakers make use of special words to help introduce ideas and
to provide a framework for what they are saying, especially in formal speech,
such as a lecture or a talk. We can think of these words as 'signpost words'
because they direct our listening; in other words, they warn us that more
information is coming and suggest what kind of information this may be: e.g.
additional, positive, negative, similar, different. They may also introduce
examples of a main point made earlier.
Look at the sample of unfinished 'spoken' text below. It starts with the signpost
word while, which suggests that there is a contrast or opposite to follow.
( While a great deal has been achieved in the area of cancer research, there ... )
This sentence could be completed with the words: ... /5 still a lot we do not
understand about cancer.
Here are some possible 'directions' that the signpost words can take you in.
a Leading towards a comparison
b Leading towards a contrast or opposite
с Introducing an example of what was said earlier
d Suggesting cause and effect or result
e Providing additional information
f Setting out the stages of a talk
First, read the sentences 1-10 on the next page and identify the signpost words and
the direction (a-f above) that the words are taking you in. Then go on to the pair
activity that follows.
Listening UNIT 6
1 Incoming governments often make promises
which they cannot keep. For instance ...
2 Every Roman town had at its centre a forum,
where people came together to conduct their
official and religious affairs. In addition, the
forum ...
3 The meteorological office predicted rain for the
two weeks of the Olympic Games, In
consequence, ...
4 Learning a foreign language can be difficult and
at times frustrating. However, ...
5 Not only did the Second World War result in
the displacement of millions of innocent
civilians, it ...
6 Despite the efforts of the government to reduce
the incidence of smoking among teenagers and
young adults, I regret to say that smoking ...
7 This is how to approach writing an essay. First,
you should read the question carefully. Then ...
8 No matter how hard you try to justify the sport
of fox hunting, the fact remains that ...
9 Firstly I would like to talk about the early life of
}. F. Kennedy. Secondly ... and thirdly ...
10 On the one hand, it may be advisable to study
hard the night before an exam; on the other
hand, ...
Try to complete the unfinished statements above by creating an ending which
makes sense in each case, using the signpost words in the text to guide you.
Read the finished texts out loud to your partner so that you can practise the
intonation patterns which go with the signpost words. Make sure your voice rises
and falls in the right places to reflect your intended meaning.
EXTRACT 1
You can check the intonation patterns by listening to Unit 6, Extract 1, which gives
some possible ways of completing the sentences.
Listening UNIT 6
EXTRACT 2
IELTS Listening Section 3 Note completion and labelling a diagram
IELTS Section 3 Listening takes the form of a conversation between two or more
people discussing an academic topic. Unlike the dialogues in Section 1, where
the speakers are discussing everyday topics, Section 3 will require more careful
attention to the conversation or argument being expressed. In the following
example, you will hear an extract from a university tutorial with four speakers
taking part. First look at the questions below and make sure you understand
exactly what you have to label on the diagram.
Questions 1-3
Complete the notes. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
ROVER ROBOT
The robot does the work of a (1)....... „ It looks
like a (2) on wheels. It weighs 16.5kg and
travels quite (3). ... .. „....
Questions 4-7
Label the diagram of the rover robot.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS for each answer.
л
(4) „.. ....
(6)
(7) .. ... wheels
Questions 8-10
Complete the notes. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
The cover cannot be steered in real time because of the
(8)
Scientists decide on a (9) for the rover.
Mars is similar to Earth because it may have
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 110.
Listening
UNIT 7 Being aware of stress, rhythm and intonation
How do intonation and word stress
help us to understand?
Pre-listening
Public speakers and lecturers make use of stress, rhythm
and intonation patterns, along with signpost words, to
divide their information into 'chunks' of meaning. Learning
to recognise these speech patterns will help you to
understand formal spoken English whether you are
listening to a live or a recorded talk.
Try saying the following telephone numbers. Notice how your voice goes up after
each group and then drops as you come to the end of the whole number.
5849 3714 *612 9983 4721 *01223 460278 *33 76 49 52 98 *0412 613612
Speakers normally use an upward intonation if they have more to add and let their
voice drop when they come to the end of that piece of information.
EXTRACT 1
Look at the five extracts below, taken from different lectures and mark in pencil the
words which you think should be stressed and where your voice should rise and fall.
Read the extracts out loud to your partner, as if you were giving a talk or a lecture,
paying particular attention to the intonation patterns needed to keep the listener
interested and to ensure that the meaning is clear. After you have both read each
extract, listen to the recording and compare it with your versions.
Try recording your own voice and then listen to yourself.
Urban society began when huntergatherers
learnt (a) how to farm land,
(b) how to domesticate animals and
(c) how to build permanent structures
to act as shelter.
There are three levels of government
in Australia: firstly, there is Federal
Government; then there is State
Government and thirdly we have
Local Government.
There are three levels of government in Australia: firstly, there is
Federal Government, which looks after issues of national importance
such as immigration and defence. Then there is State Government
located in each capital city, and which has responsibility for such
things as education, the police and urban and regional planning, and
thirdly we find Local Government, which controls services such as
waste collection, public libraries and childcare centres.
Was Napoleon poisoned or did he die of natural causes? The Napoleonic Society
of America, an association of historians and collectors, has given a modern twist
to this debate. They have done this by revealing the results of chemical analyses
of hair said to have come from the head of the French emperor.
The many forms and styles of handwriting which exist have attracted a wide
range of aesthetic, psychological and scientific studies, each with its own aims
and procedures. Moreover, each of the main families of writing systems
(European, Semitic, East Asian) has its own complex history of handwriting styles.
Listening UNIT 7
EXTRACT 2
IELTS Listening Section 4 Following a flow chart
Section 4 of the Listening test is always a lecture or a talk of some kind. In this
example, you will hear the introduction to a lecture on child language acquisition.
The speaker provides a framework for his talk using a number of signpost words.
How to approach the task
Read the notes carefully to get an idea of the content and direction of the talk.
Notice how the notes form part of a flow chart to reflect the format or
organisation of the talk.
Questions 1-10
Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Example The Study of Child Language Acquisition
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 110.
Listening UNIT 7
EXTRACT 3
IELTS Listening Section 4 Table/flow chart completion and multiple choice
Questions 1-3
Complete the table below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in each space.
Questions 4-5
Complete the flow chart using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in each space.
Questions 6-10
Circle the appropriate letter.
6 The cane toad originated in
A Central America.
В Hawaii.
С Australia.
7 In Australia, the toads
A grew extremely large.
В multiplied in number.
С ate the cane beetles.
8 The farmers' plan failed because
A there were too many beetles.
В their own research was faulty.
С they believed reports they read.
9 The sugar cane industry
A thrives today.
В has died out in some areas.
С survives alongside the beetle.
10 The second lesson to be learned
from this story is that
A the environment is constantly
at risk.
В first-hand research is not
always necessary.
С caution is necessary when
dealing with nature.
The Reading Module
GENERAL READING STRATEGIES
When you go to university or college you may be
overwhelmed by the amount of reading you are
expected to do. You will have to do a lot of this
reading on your own and you will need to be able to
read discriminatingly. This means you will have to be
selective about what you read. You will need to have
the skills required to focus in on the information that
is important to you and to skim through the
information that isn't.
READING FDR IELTS
The IELTS examination tests your ability to read
between 1500 and 2500 words in a fairly short period
of time in order to find out certain information. In
both the Academic and the General Training modules,
you are given 60 minutes to answer a total of 40
questions. The texts and items are graded in terms of
difficulty. If you can identify the reading skills being
tested in each set of questions, and if you have some
mastery of these skills, you will have a better chance
of completing the Reading test successfully.
Academic Reading Module
The test has three reading passages and each of the passages is
accompanied by a set of questions. There may be more than
one type of question in each set. For example, you may be
asked to find detailed information in a text in order to
complete sentences; you may have to identify views and
attitudes within a text; you may have to understand how
something works and complete a diagram or chart. The
passages may be written in a variety of different styles, such as
argumentative, descriptive, narrative, discursive, etc.
General Training Reading Module
The test has three sections. Section 1 contains two or more
texts which are based on social situations. Section 2 contains
two texts based on course-related situations and Section 3
contains one text that tests general reading comprehension.
The question types are similar to those in the Academic
module. The texts in the first two sections are most likely to
be descriptive and factual. The text in the third section may
contain some argument.
If you are studying for the General Training modules you
should begin with Reading Units 8 and 9.
Reading
UNIT 1 Orientating yourself to the text
In the IELTS test you are given texts to read which someone else has chosen for you. So it is
important to skim through each text asking yourself the sort of questions that will help you
understand it quickly.
Re-read the introduction to the Reading module on the previous page and answer
the following questions:
What subject is the text about?
Why was the text written?
Who was it written for?
Why would somebody read this text?
What type of text is it?
These are critical questions that help you to orientate yourself to the text.
TITLES AND SUB-HEADINGS
Nearly all articles that you read in magazines and newspapers will have a title (unless
it has been removed for a particular reason). Many will also have a sub-heading.
Read this title
and sub-heading
which introduce a
magazine article:
The Dynamic Continent
The constantly changing landscape of
Antarctica is a challenge to cartographers*.
6 What is this article about?
7 What kind of person would be interested in this article?
8 What do you expect to read about in the first paragraph?
*people who make maps
Now read the first
paragraph of the
article: IN MOST AREAS or THE WORLD, certainly in Europe, both the
physical landscape and the maps of it are relatively stable.
Map revision is usually concerned with manmade features,
such as buildings and roads. This is not true о Аntartiса.
The Antarctic ice sheet is a dynamic entity and cartographers
have to contend with big and rapid changes in the physical
Adrian Fox and Janet Thomson report.
Reading UNIT 1
9 What is the writers' purpose in the first paragraph?
10 Is there a sentence that best summarises the main idea in this first paragraph?
These are the types of questions that you can ask yourself when you first read
a text. They form part of our reading strategies.
Read this title and
sub-heading and discuss
Questions 6-8 above with
a partner:
*a person who manages something (like a park or property)
• Now read the first two paragraphs of the article:
Soil, air and water are the three essentials for life on land. But
environmental policies have often taken soil for granted. Soil is of vital
importance because we use it to produce our food. It is also an
integral part of the landscapes and habitats we value so highly in the
countryside,
We published our report, Sustainable Use of Soil, this week, In it,
the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution set out to establish
what the effects would be if current human activities that affect soils,
and present trends, continued unchanged for the next 100 years.
11 What do you learn about the writer and his purpose in the second paragraph?
12 How do you expect the article to continue?
13 How do you think the style of this article may be different from 'The Dynamic
Continent'?
It is important to gradually build on your understanding of the information that
is provided in each paragraph of a text. If you begin your reading by asking the
type of questions you have met in this unit, you will begin to interact with the
text immediately and you will be off to a good start.
For more practice in reading titles and sub-headings, do Exercise A in the
Supplementary activities on page 111.
How useful were
the title and the
sub-heading in
orientating you
towards the text?
Reading UNIT 1
PARAGRAPHS
As you read through each paragraph of an article, you gradually build on your
understanding of what the writer is trying to say.
14 How does paragraphing help you do this?
15 When you first read a text, what should you look for in each paragraph?
Read the title and sub-heading of the following article and discuss the content.
Then go on to read the whole article.
The Undersea World of Sound
Snorts, dicks,
whistles, groans
tune in to the
long-distance
language of
the ocean
The vast oceans of the world are
dark, deep and mysterious places
where eyesight counts for little as
soon as you venture very far
beneath the surface.
For humans, who live in a world
dominated by visual stimuli, to
exist in such conditions would be
impossible. But for whales and
dolphins that live in the ocean or,
in the case of a few species,
muddy rivers and estuaries, the
darkness is unimportant. What is
crucial to them is sound.
Sound is an efficient way to
transmit and sense information,
especially as it travels five times
faster through water than through
air. If humans shout to someone,
it is unlikely that they will be heard
a kilometre away. But if a whale
'shouts' in an ocean channel,
another whale may hear it tens, if
not hundreds of kilometres away.
Whales and dolphins use sound
in two ways: for communication
and for echolocation. Dolphins,
porpoises and toothed whales
communicate through a wide
variety of high-frequency sounds
- pure tone whistles, pulsed
squeals, screams or barks -
generally at frequencies of
5OOHz to 20kHz (where a
hertz is a cycle per second and a
kilohertz a thousand).
But as well as using sounds to
communicate, toothed whales
and dolphins also rely on
echolocation to learn about
their immediate environment,
including prey that might be
lurking nearby. They produce
intense short broad-band pulses
of sound in the ultrasonic range
of between 0.25 and 220 kHz.
These clicks are brief - typically
less than one millisecond long -
but they are repeated many
times each second.
Reading UNIT 1
Using a pencil, underline what you think is the key idea in each paragraph.
Write a short paragraph that summarises the article.
16 What is the writer trying to do in the article?
explain the function of whale and dolphin sounds
account for the development of underwater sounds
compare the sounds made by whales and dolphins
give the results of his studies on underwater sounds
Read the following
opening to an article:
17 An appropriate title for this paragraph would be
My life as a novelist
The difficulties of adaptation
Examining the choices writers make
A cultural perspective on entertainment
Now do Exercise В in the Supplementary activities on page 111.
Reading
UNIT 2 Skimming/scanning for specific inform
If you are asked to find a particular detail or piece of information in an IELTS passage, you will need
to skim through the text fairly quickly, scanning for clues as to where the information might be
found. This means you will need to read faster than your normal pace. There are a variety of IELTS
question types that test your ability to extract specific information or details from a text. In nearly
all cases, the information required is factual.
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
In this type of task, the questions test your ability to locate the right information
in an article or passage. When you meet a set of short-answer questions in
IELTS, you should read them carefully, before you go back to the text. In this way,
you will know what you are looking for.
• Read through the following set of questions which are based on an article about
sand. Underline the key words in each question.
1 What TWO substances made, by humans are mentioned in the text?
2 Which part of a grain of sand have scientists measured?
3 What TWO factors determine the shape of a piece of sand?
4 How was the beach on Kamoama Island created?
5 Where, according to the text, can fine sandy beaches be found?
6 Who argues that sand is more efficient than coastal technology?
• Discuss what you have underlined in class.
7 Which answer do you think will be quickest to find in the text? Why?
8 Which answer(s) do you think will be hardest to locate in the text? Why?
• Read the article on the following page and underline the answers to Questions 1-6.
Do this in ten minutes if you can.
Reading UNIT 2
Sifting
through
the Sands
of Time
When you're on the
beach, you're stepping
on ancient mountains,
skeletons of marine
animals, even tiny
diamonds. Sand provides
a mineral treasure-trove,
a record of geology's
earth-changing processes
Sand: as children we play on it and as adults we relax on it.
It is something we complain about when ft gets in our food,
and praise when ft's moulded into castles. But we don't often
look at it, If we did, we would discover an account of a
geological past and a history of marine life that goes back
thousands and in some cases millions of years.
Sand covers not just sea-shores, but also ocean beds, deserts
and mountains. It is one of the most common substances on
earth, And it is a major element in man-made materials too -
concrete is largely sand, while glass is made of little else.
What exactly is sand? Well, it is larger than fine dust and
smaller than shingle. In fact, according to the most generally
accepted scheme of measurement, devised by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, grains qualify if their
diameter is greater than 0.06 of a millimetre and less than
0.6 of a millimetre.
Depending on its age and origin, a particular sand can
consist of tiny pebbles or porous granules. Its grains may
have the shape of stars or spirals, their edges lagged or
smooth. They have come from the erosion of rocks, or from
the skeletons of marine organisms, which accumulate on the
bottom of the oceans, or even from volcanic eruptions.
Colour is another clue to sand's origins. If it is a dazzling
white, its grains may be derived from nearby coral outcrops,
from crystalline quartz rocks or from gypsum, like the white
sands of New Mexico. On Pacific Islands jet black sands form
from volcanic minerals. Other black beaches are magnetic.
Some sand is very recent indeed, as is the case on the island
of Kamoama in Hawaii, where a beach was created after a
volcanic eruption in 1990, Motten lava spilled into the sea and
exploded in glassy droplets.
Usually, the older the granules, the finer they are and the
smoother their edges. The fine, white beaches of northern
Scotland, for instance, are recycled from sandstone several
hundred million years old. Perhaps they will be stone once
more, in another few hundred million.
Sand is an irreplaceable industrial ingredient whose uses
are legion: but ft has one vital function you might never even
notice. Sand cushions our land from the sea's impact, and
geologists say it often does a better job of protecting our
shores than the most advanced coastal technology.
Discuss your answers to the six questions as a class. What sort of answers would
lose marks?
What other factual information could be tested in this passage?
Reading UNIT2
LABELLING A DIAGRAM
This type of task often makes scanning easier because the information is located
in one area of the text.
Read the task and look at the diagram of the lighthouse on the next page.
Scan the following article and circle the area of text that describes the lighthouse.
Divers hunt for ruins of Pharos lighthouse
A team of 30 divers is hurriedly
searching the Mediterranean
for the remains of the mighty
Pharos lighthouse, built more
than 2,200 years ago and
regarded as one of the Seven
Wonders of the ancient world.
In addition to Pharos, the
joint French and Egyptian
expedition is searching for the
remnants of Greek temples
and statues. The aim of the
£300,000 project is to map a
23,920 sq yard area off Egypt's
second largest city, founded
by Alexander the Great. Under
the water is a vast collection
of ruins, some of which the 20
French and ten Egyptian
divers hope to excavate and
salvage. The team is hoping
that among the remnants may
be the lighthouse, built in
279 BC during the reign of
Ptolemy II.
The huge white marble
building was the marvel of its
day. It was more than 400ft
high in a colonnaded court
and was equipped with a
hydraulic lift to raise fuel to
the roof. Its lantern, probably
magnified by a reflecting
Underwater archaeologists
search the waters for Egyptian
relics, Christopher Walker writes
device, could be seen over a
radius of 34 miles. Within its
square base were up to 300
rooms designed to house
mechanics and operators;
above were an octagonal
storey and a circular storey,
topped by a lantern with a
beacon, the exact workings of
which are still a mystery.
Although the lantern
collapsed as early as the
eighth century, the lighthouse
served for 1,400 years as the
symbol of Alexandria and a
beacon for ships, until
devastating earthquakes in
1100 and 1307 brought it
tumbling down, presumably
sending much of the debris
into the sea surrounding
Pharos island on which it was
built.
The divers have made
some fascinating discoveries,
including at least three layers
of blocks, some estimated to
be as heavy as 70 tonnes,
which may have been part of
the lighthouse. "It is certainly
possible that some of the
pieces come from the
lighthouse itself," said Jean-
Pierre Cortegiani, a member
of the expedition. "In fact, it
would be amazing if nothing
came from the lighthouse,
seeing as this is where it
toppled into the sea." Also
discovered were hundreds of
smaller blocks, thought to be
pieces of temples and statues
dating back to the Ptolemaic
period. Among them were
pieces of ancient columns,
many inscribed, and huge
granite and marble statues of
sphinxes and Egyptian Gods,
some of which stood 15ft
high.
"We are making an
identification of the blocks,
studying the inscriptions and
choosing some to be taken
out," Cortegiani said. "We
cannot take all the blocks out,
but maybe we can have
something like an underwater
archaeological park."
Complete the following IELTS task in ten minutes.
Reading UNIT 2
IELTS Reading
How easy did you
find the task?
Which labels
were harder to
complete? Why?
Reading UNIT 2
CHART/TABLE COMPLETION
IELTS Reading
Read the text below and answer Questions 14-19.
Baby Love
Why we want to take
care of teddy bears
At the turn of the century, the first
teddy bears had low foreheads, long
snouts and long limbs like real bears.
But over time, they have developed
more baby-like features.
A group of scientists was curious to know
whether teddies evolved this way because
children demand baby-faced bears or because
adults did. They gathered together eight pairs of
teddies, each comprising a baby-faced bear and an
adult-featured one. These teddies were shown to
children aged four, six and eight years old,
When asked to choose their favourite bear from
each pair, the older children (43 out of 54)
preferred the baby-faced teddies. But the fouryear-
olds chose the baby-faced and adult-featured
bears of each pair equally. When asked which one
of all the bears they liked best, the older children
chose more baby-faced bears but the four-yearolds
preferred ones with adult features.
The scientists also asked the children what they
would like to do with their favourite bear. The
four-year-olds wanted to play with it, but the
older children said they would like to sleep with
the bear. The scientists suggest that young children
do not develop a specific desire to look after the
young and helpless until they are older.
Questions 14-19
Complete the table below which shows the final results of the scientists' research. For
Questions 14-17 use a tick (v) for preference or cross (x) for non-preference. For
Questions 18-19 use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 111.
Reading
Identifying main and supporting ideas
Most paragraphs in well-written discursive or argumentative texts contain at least one main idea
and very often these ideas are supported by examples or by further explanation, IELTS tests your
ability to identify main and supporting points and also to differentiate between them.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
The following paragraph
also occurs in Reading
Unit 1, and is taken from
an article on cartography
(or map making). Read it
and underline the main
idea and any supporting
points. Do this in five
minutes.
In most areas of the world, certainly in Europe, both
the physical landscape and the maps of it are
relatively stable. Map revision is usually concerned
with manmade features, such as buildings and roads.
This is not true of Antarctica. The Antarctic ice sheet
is a dynamic entity and cartographers have to
contend with big and rapid changes in the physical
geography of the continent. For example, earlier this
year they faced the dramatic break-up of the Larsen
and Prince Gustav ice shelves in the Antarctic
Peninsula region, which is where the British Antarctic
Survey (BAS) concentrates its mapping activity.
Topographic maps are probably changing faster in
Antarctica than anywhere else in the world.
• Now do the multiple-choice question below.
1 What do the break-up of the Larsen and Prince Gustav ice shelves illustrate?
The errors that occur on maps of the Antarctic.
The difficulties in reaching areas in the Antarctic.
The sort of changes that can occur in the Antarctic.
The regularity with which map-makers visit the Antarctic.
2 What are the key words in each of the options A-D?
Now read the following text. Underline the main ideas and note the number of
supporting points. Do this in ten minutes.
GOING DIGITAL
Reading UNIT 3
Electronic libraries will make today's Internet
pale by comparison. But building them will
not be easy.
All over the world, libraries have begun the
Herculean task of making faithful digital
copies of the books, images and
recordings that preserve the intellectual effort of
humankind. For armchair scholars, the work
promises to bring such a wealth of information to
the desktop that the present Internet may seem
amateurish in retrospect. ...
Librarians see three clear benefits to going digital.
First, it helps them preserve rare and fragile
objects without denying access to those who wish
to study them. The British Library, for example,
holds the only medieval manuscript of Beowulf in
London. Only qualified scholars were allowed to
see it until Kevin S. Kiernan of the University of
Kentucky scanned the manuscript with three
different light sources (revealing details not
normally apparent to the naked eye) and put the
images up on the Internet for anyone to peruse.
Tokyo's National Diet Library is similarly creating
highly detailed digital photographs of 1,236
woodblock prints, scrolls and other materials it
considers national treasures so mat researchers can
scrutinise them without handling the originals.
A second benefit is convenience. Once books are
converted to digital form, patrons can retrieve
them in seconds rather than minutes. Several
people can simultaneously read the same book or
view the same picture. Clerks are spared the chore
of reshelving. And libraries could conceivably use
the Internet to lend their virtual collections to
those who are unable to visit in person.
The third advantage of electronic copies is that
they occupy millimeters of space on a magnetic
disk rather man meters on a shelf. Expanding
library buildings is increasingly costly. The
University of California at Berkeley recently spent
$46 million on an underground addition to house
1.5 million books - an average cost of $30 per
volume. The price of disk storage, in contrast, has
fallen to about $2 per 300-page publication and
continues to drop.
From "Going Digital" by Michael Lesk, Copyright © March 1997
by Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
3 What is the message in the first paragraph?
4 Which paragraphs in the text offer further explanation of the message?
5 Which words in the second paragraph help you identify the supporting points?
6 How easy would it be to write a summary of the text? Why?
Sometimes multiple-choice questions in IELTS have more than four options and
you have to pick more than one correct answer. Look at the following question,
which is based on the text above.
IELTS Reading
Questions 7-9
Which THREE of the following are mentioned in the text as benefits of going digital?
A More people can see precious documents.
В Old manuscripts can be moved more easily.
С Material can be examined without being touched.
D Fewer staff will be required in libraries.
E Borrowers need not go to the library building.
F Libraries will be able to move underground.
Reading UNITS
In this task you not only have to identify the benefits of libraries going digital,
you also have to understand the wording in the question. Here the benefits are
expressed in a different way and this is called paraphrasing.
Look carefully at how the original meaning has been paraphrased in A-F.
Discuss why the other options are wrong.
Underline and paraphrase some of the other benefits mentioned in the text.
Write a summary of the text for homework.
NOTE-TAKING
Taking notes from written sources is one of the main skills you will need when
you go to university. Typically, note-taking involves the reader in identifying the
main and supporting points in a text.
• Read the following newspaper article and see if you can locate any main and
supporting ideas. Make a note of these.
' Salty' rice plant boosts harvests
British scientists are breeding a
new generation of rice plants that
will be able to grow in soil
contaminated with salt water.
Their work may enable abandoned
farms to become productive once
more, writes Sean Margrave.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from
Sussex University's School of
Biological Sciences, have spent
several years researching how crops,
such as rice, could be made to grow
in water that has become salty.
The pair have recently begun a
three-year programme, funded by
the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council, to
establish which genes enable some
plants to survive saline conditions.
The aim is to breed this capability
into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year
more than 10m hectares of
agricultural land are lost because
salt gets into the soil and stunts
plants. The problem is caused by
several factors. In the tropics,
mangroves that create swamps and
traditionally form barriers to sea
water have been cut down. In the
Mediterranean, a series of droughts
have caused the water table to drop,
allowing sea water to seep in. In
Latin America, irrigation often
causes problems when water is
evaporated by the heat, leaving salt
deposits behind
Excess salt then enters me plants
and prevents them functioning
normally, Heavy concentrations of
minerals in the plants curb the
process of osmosis and stop them
drawing up the water they need to
survive.
To overcome these problems,
Flowers and Yeo decided to breed
rice plants that take in very little salt
and store what they do absorb in
cells that do not affect the plant's
growth. They have started to breed
these characteristics into a new rice
crop, but it will take about eight
harvests until the resulting seeds
are ready to be considered for
commercial use.
Once the characteristics for
surviving salty soil are known,
Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the
appropriate genes into a l l manner
of crops and plants. Land that has
been abandoned to nature will then
be able to bloom again, providing
much needed food in the poorer
countries of the world.
Now look at the notes in the IELTS activity on the next page.
Reading UNIT 3
IELTS Reading
Questions 10-13
Complete the notes below. Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
For further IELTS practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 111.
Reading
UNIT4
Writers make use of paragraphing to divide a text into manageable sections for the reader. A new
paragraph usually introduces a new point, theme or angle to the text and as a reader you should be
able to recognise what this is. Making a mental note of the main idea(s) in each paragraph is an
important reading skill. IELTS tests you on your ability to do this through paragraph heading tasks.
PARAGRAPH HEADINGS
Some texts, particularly newspaper articles or reports, have headings so that the
reader can quickly skim through and get a good idea of the content. The following
newspaper article has five paragraphs (A-E) but the headings have been removed.
Read it and write your own title for each of the paragraphs. Do this in 20 minutes.
Succeeding in title role
Magazine circulations are in the millions and advertising
revenue is rising despite the growth of TV and electronic
media, reports David Short
A Print is not dead yet - at least
not when it comes to magazines.
Despite ever-growing competition
from television and electronic
media, a new report shows that
worldwide advertising expenditure
in consumer magazines has
doubled over the past decade.
В The report also shows that
many magazines in Europe
continue to enjoy circulations in
the millions, despite the evergrowing
number of television
channels, whether cable, satellite,
terrestrial, analogue, or digital, and
the incursion of the Internet.
And new French research has
revealed that magazines are
still powerful tools for owners
of brands.
С Advertising expenditure
worldwide was $225 billion last
year, according to the report
World Magazine Trends. $32
billion of this, or 14%, was taken
by magazines. In Europe, the
share of consumer magazine
advertising expenditure was $12
billion or 21% of an estimated
overall spend of $57 billion. But
the share has dropped in the past
15 years from 30 per cent, with
decline having been particularly
severe in Belgium and Germany
where commercial television was
introduced relatively late.
D However, the types of
magazines which Europeans
choose to flip through still varies
dramatically according to country,
with few signs that the European
magazine with a common title is
making inroads across nations.
Interests which can create topselling
titles in one country are
nowhere to be seen in the
circulation lists of others.
E But whatever their relative
importance across Europe,
magazines have one real
advantage over broadcast media.
For advertisers such as tobacco
and alcohol producers, which are
barred or severely restricted on
television in some countries,
magazines remain a safe haven
for their messages.
Reading UNIT 4
Follow-up
Compare your heading for each paragraph with the headings that other students
in your class have written.
Discuss the main ideas in each paragraph and decide if some headings are better
than others.
Were any of the paragraphs more difficult to write headings for? Why?
Look back at your headings. Where you didn't use your own words, try doing so now.
For further practice, do Exercise A in the Supplementary activities on page 112.
The IELTS Reading component often tests candidates on their ability to select a
heading for each paragraph in a text, from a list of headings.
IELTS Reading
How to approach the task
Take 10 minutes to read the passage on the following pages, underlining what
you think are the main ideas and key vocabulary in each paragraph.
Read through the list of headings to familiarise yourself with them.
Look carefully at the example - in this case, paragraph A.
Re-read paragraph В and select the heading that best fits this paragraph.
Continue this procedure with paragraphs C-H. Take about 15 minutes to do this.
Questions 1-7
The Reading Passage on the following pages has eight paragraphs (A-H). Choose the
most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the
appropriate numbers (i-x) in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
You may use any heading more than once.
List of Headings
i Benefiting from an earlier model
ii Important operative conditions
iii Examining the public confusion
iv Where to go from here?
v How it's all linked up
vi Finding a suitable location
vii Comparing wind speeds in Australian cities
viii Matching operational requirements with considerations of appearance
ix What makes Esperance different?
x What is a wind farm?
Reading UNIT 4
Example
Paragraph A
1 Paragraph В
2 Paragraph С
3 Paragraph D
Answer
x
4 Paragraph E
5 Paragraph F
6 Paragraph G
7 Paragraph H
AUSTRALIA'S FIRST COMMERCIAL WIND FARM
It's two years since the rotor blades began spinning in Esperance,
Western Australia
A HARVEST time in Esperance is
constant. As long as the wind blows -
which is pretty much all the time - nine
identical synchronised wind turbines
reap the benefits of the dependable
winds that gust up around the southern
coastline of Western Australia. These
sleek, white, robot-like wind turbines
loom up on the horizon forming part of
Australia's first commercial wind farm.
They're not only functional machines
that help provide electricity for this
secluded coastal town, but increasingly,
they're also drawcards for curious
tourists and scientists alike.
В Because of its isolation, Esperance
is not linked to Western Power's grid
which supplies electricity from gas-,
coal- and oil-fired power stations to the
widespread population of Western
Australia. Before the wind turbines
went in, Esperance's entire electricity
needs were met by the diesel power
station in town.
С The $5.8 million Ten Mile Lagoon
project is not Esperance's first wind farm.
The success of a smaller, experimental
wind farm, at a spot called Salmon
Beach, encouraged the State's power
utility to take Esperance wind seriously.
Today the wind turbines at Ten Mile
Lagoon work in conjunction with the
diesel power station, significantly
reducing the amount of the town's
electricity generated by expensive diesel
power.
Reading UNIT 4
D The wind farm is connected to the
power station by a 33-kilovolt
powerline, and a radio link between the
two allows operators to monitor and
control each wind turbine. The nine
225-kilowatt Vestas wind turbines
produce a total generating capacity of
two megawatts and provide around 12
per cent of the energy requirements of
Esperance and its surrounding districts.
E The power produced by a wind
turbine depends on the size and
efficiency of the machine and, of
course, on the energy in the wind. The
energy in the wind available to the
wind turbines is proportional to wind
speed cubed. Thus, the greater the wind
speed, the greater the output of the
turbine. In order to achieve optimum
wind speeds, the right location is
imperative. "You have to accept the
nature of the beast," Mr Rosser, Western
Power's physicist said. "As surface
dwellers our perceptions of wind speeds
are bad. As you go higher, wind speed
increases significantly."
F The most favourable wind sites are
on gently sloping hills, away from
obstructions like trees and buildings
and where the prevailing winds are not
blocked. Computer modelling was used
to select the best site for Esperance's
wind farm. Scientists were concerned
not only with efficiency, but also with
protecting the coastal health
environment which is rich in plant life
and home to tiny pygmy and honeypossums,
and a host of bird species. In
addition, the wind farm is adjacent to
Esperance's popular scenic tourist drive.
G Strict erosion controls have been
implemented and access to the wind
farm is limited to selected viewing
areas. The wind turbine towers are
painted white and devoid of corporate
logos or signage. According to Mr
Rosser there is something of a
worldwide backlash against wind farms
with regard to their visual impact, "But
because wind turbines perform best in
the most exposed positions, they will
always be visible. There is a very real
need to balance environmental and
technical requirements. I think the Ten
Mile Lagoon Wind Farm sets the
standards for environmentally friendly
developments."
H In fact, the project has become
something of a tourist attraction in
itself, Esperance shire president Ian
Mickel said the wind turbines had been
well accepted by locals. "We have
watched the wind farm develop with
great interest, and now we find visitors
to Esperance are equally enthusiastic
about it," he said. The aim now is to
identify other remote locations where
wind turbines will be a feasible means
of supplementing existing power
stations.
8 What is the writer doing in the article?
responding to criticism of a project
reviewing the success of a project
explaining his role in a project
predicting the future of a project
Mow do Exercise В in the Supplementary activities on page 112.
Reading
UNIT 5 Summarising
A question that may be used in IELTS to test your understanding of the main ideas in a passage is a
summary with gaps and a box of possible answers to choose from. The summary may cover the
main ideas presented over a large area of the text and so it will be necessary for you to have a
good understanding of these. In addition, the summary will paraphrase the points in the text so you
will need to be familiar with different ways of expressing the same idea.
COMPLETING A SUMMARY
When we read, we tend to make a mental note of the main ideas of a text so that
we have an overall understanding of it. Use your global reading skills to
familiarise yourself with the following passage.
Prehistoric
insects spawn
new drugs
by Steve Connor, Science Correspondent
A Insects entombed in
fossilised amber for tens of
millions of years have provided
the key to creating a new
generation of antibiotic drugs
that could wage war on
modern diseases. Scientists
have isolated the antibiotics
from microbes found either
inside the intestines of the
amber-encased insects or in soil
particles trapped with them
when they were caught by
sticky tree resin up to 130
million years ago. Spores of the
microbes have survived an
unprecedented period of
suspended animation, enabling
scientists to revive them in the
laboratory.
В Research over the past two
vears has uncovered at least
four antibiotics from the
microbes and one has been
able to kill modern drugresistant
bacteria that can
cause potentially deadly
diseases in humans. Present-day
antibiotics have nearly all been
isolated from micro-organisms
that use them as a form of
defence against their predators
or competitors. But since the
introduction of antibiotics into
medicine 50 years ago, an
alarming number have become
ineffective because many
bacteria have developed
resistance to the drugs. The
antibiotics that were in use
millions of years ago may prove
more deadly against drugresistant
modem strains of
disease-causing bacteria.
С Raul Cano, who has
pioneered the research at the
Reading UNIT 5
California Polytechnic State
University at San Luis Obispo,
said the ancient antibiotics had
been successful in fighting
drug-resistant strains of
staphylococcus bacteria, a
"superbug" that has threatened
the health of patients in
hospitals throughout the
world. He now intends to
establish whether the
antibiotics might have harmful
side effects. "The problem is
how toxic it is to other cells
and how easy it is to purify,"
said. Cano.
D A biotechnology company,
Ambergene, has been set up to
develop the antibiotics into
drugs. If any ancient microbes
are revived that resemble
present-day diseases, they will
be destroyed in case they
escape and cause new
epidemics. Drug companies
will be anxious to study the
chemical structures of the
prehistoric antibiotics to see
bow they differ from modern
drugs. They hope that one
ancient antibiotic molecule
could be used as a basis to
synthesise a range of drugs.
E Thеге have been several
attempts to extract material
such as DNA from fossilised
life-forms ranging from
Egyptian mummies to
dinosaurs but many were
subsequently shown to be
contaminated. Cano's findings
have been hailed as a breakthrough
by scientists, Edward
Golenberg, an expert on
extracting DNA from fossilised
life-forms at Wayne State
University in Detroit, said:
"They appear to be verifiable,
ancient spores. They do seem
to be real." Richard Lenski,
professor of microbial ecology
at Michigan State University,
said the fight against antibioticresistant
strains of bacteria,
such as tuberculosis and
staphylococcus, could be
helped by the discovery.
F However, even the
discovery of ancient antibiotics
may not halt the rise of drugresistant
bacteria. Stuart Levy,
a micro-biologist at Tufts
University in Boston, warned
that the bacteria would
eventually evolve to fight back
against the new drags. "There
might also be an enzyme
already out there that can
degrade it. So the only way to
keep the life of that antibiotic
going is to use it sensibly and
not excessively," he said.
Skim through the passage again and underline the main ideas in each paragraph.
Write a sentence that summarises each paragraph.
Follow-up
When you have finished, compare your sentences with those of your partner.
Discuss which sentences capture the main ideas best.
Write a sub-heading for the article and discuss the writer's purpose and intended
readers.
UNDERSTANDING PARAPHRASE
On the following page is a summary of the main ideas in the article you have just
read, but to make it easier, it has been broken down into gapped sentences.
See if you can complete the sentences by selecting the correct word from the box
below the summary.
Reading UNIT 5
SUMMARY
Microbes that may supply new antibiotic drugs, have been ... (1)... in the bodies
of fossilised insects.
The discovery may help destroy bacteria that are no longer ... (2)... to modern
medicine.
What needs to be done now is to find out how ... (3)... the antibiotics will be.
Microbes that seem to have the characteristics of ... (4)... diseases will have
to be killed.
It is thought that a ... (5)... molecule could lead to a whole series of drugs.
Other scientists who have tried to produce antibiotics in a similar way have
been ... (6) ...
This work is considered a ... (7) ... achievement.
It is necessary to be ... (8) ... about maintaining the life of the antibiotics.
Reading
UNIT 6 Understanding argument
Some texts are completely factual, for example texts in an encyclopaedia, or factual reports or
reviews. Many texts, however, contain some argument or opinion. At least one of the texts you
will meet in the IELTS test will contain some detailed logical arguments and you will be tested
on your ability to identify and understand these arguments as they are presented in the passage.
ARGUMENT OR FACT?
Skim through the following passage and highlight those areas which deal with
arguments and those that simply present facts.
Penguins show signs of stress
A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins
are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.
Previous research by scientists from Keil University
in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and
noted that the birds' heart rates increased
dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30
metres away. But new research using an artificial egg,
which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes
this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research
Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving
human who does not approach the nest too closely,
is not perceived as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly
explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of
certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However,
tour operators have continued to insist that their
activities do not adversely affect wildlife in
Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive
behaviour in tourists, and that the decline in penguin
numbers is caused by other factors,
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research
Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers
at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin
behaviour towards humans. "A nesting penguin will
react very differently to a person rapidly and closely
approaching the nest," says Nimon. "First they
exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and
then they often flee the nest leaving it open for
predators to fly in and
remove eggs or chicks."
The artificial egg,
specially developed
for the project,
monitored both
the parent who had
been 'disturbed'
when the egg was
placed in the nest and
the other parent as they
both took it in turns to
guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the
Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon's findings
do not invalidate his own research. He points
out that species behave differently - and Nimon's
work was with Gentoo penguins, Nimon and
her colleagues believe that Cultk's research was
methodologically flawed because the monitoring
of penguins' responses entailed capturing and
restraining the birds and fitting them with
heart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon,
it would not be surprising if they became stressed
on seeing a human subsequently.
Reading UNIT 6
1 Why do you think this article was written?
2 What do you notice about the views presented in it?
3 What overall message is presented?
4 What would be a suitable sub-heading for the article?
Now look at the following multiple-choice question. This is one way in which
you may be tested on your ability to identify the arguments presented in a text.
IELTS Reading
How to approach the task
Underline the key words in the arguments A-F.
Then scan the text for expressions of the same idea.
Questions 5-7
Which THREE of the following arguments are stated in the text?
Penguins are not afraid of people who behave calmly.
Penguins need better protection from tourists.
Not all penguins behave in the same way.
Tourists are not responsible for the fall in penguin numbers.
Penguins are harder to research when they have young.
Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica.
For further practice in understanding and paraphrasing arguments, do the
Supplementary activity on page 113.
MATCHING
Sometimes a matching exercise is used in IELTS to test your ability to identify
and understand different arguments. It is used particularly when the text
presents a number of arguments or theories from different sources.
Read the following extract from an article on Australia's farming and highlight the
different sources (people or organisations) quoted in the article.
Select some of the arguments and see if you can paraphrase them.
Reading UNIT 6
Australia's Growing Disaster
Farming is threatening to destroy the soil and
native flora and fauna over vast areas of Australia.
What price should be put on conservation?
Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Committee estimates that burning wood from cleared
forests accounts for about 30 per cent of Australia's
emissions of carbon dioxide, or 156 million tonnes a
year. And water tables are rising beneath cleared land.
In the Western Australian wheat belt, estimates suggest
that water is rising by up to 1 metre a year. The land is
becoming waterlogged and unproductive or is being
poisoned by salt, which is brought to the surface. The
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) reckons that
33 million hectares has been degraded by salination.
The federal government estimates the loss in
production from salinity at A$200 million a year.
According to Jason Alexandra of the ACF, this list of
woes is evidence that Australia is depleting its
resources by trading agricultural commodities for
manufactured imports. In effect, it sells topsoil for
technologies that will be worn out or redundant in a few
years. The country needs to get away from the "colonial
mentality" of exploiting resources and adopt agricultural
practices suited to Australian conditions, he says.
Robert Hadler of the National Farmers' Federation
(NFF) does not deny that there is a problem, but says
that it is "illogical" to blame farmers. Until the early
1980s, farmers were given tax incentives to clear land
because that was what people wanted. If farmers are
given tax breaks to manage the land sustainably, they
will do so. Hadler argues that the two reports on
land clearance do not say anything which was not
known before.
Australia is still better off than many other
developed countries, says Dean Graetz, an ecologist at
the CSIRO, the national research organisation. "A lot of
the country is still notionally pristine," he says. "It is not
transformed like Europe where almost nothing that is
left is natural." Graetz, who analysed the satellite
photographs for the second land clearance report,
argues that there is now better co-operation between
Australian scientists, government officials and farmers
than in the past.
But the vulnerable state of the land is now widely
What is the writer's purpose in this article?
How is the writer using the arguments?
understood, and across Australia, schemes have started
for promoting environment friendly farming. In 1989,
Prime Minister Bob Hawke set up Landcare, a network
of more than 2000 regional conservation groups.
About 30 percent of landholders are members, "It has
become a very significant social movement," says
Helen Alexander from the National Landcare Council.
"We started out worrying about not much more than
erosion and the replanting of trees but it has grown
much more diverse and sophisticated,"
But the bugbear of all these conservation efforts is
money. Landcare's budget is A$110 million a year, of
which only A$6 million goes to farmers. Neil Clark, an
agricultural consultant from Bendigo in Victoria, says that
farmers are not getting enough. "Farmers may want to
make more efficient use of water and nutrients and
embrace more sustainable practices, but it all costs
money and they just don't have the spare funds," he says.
Clark also says scientists are taking too large a share
of the money for conservation. Many problems posed
by agriculture to the environment have been
"researched to death", he says. "We need to divert the
money for a while into getting the solutions into place."
Australia's chief scientist, Michael Pitman, disagrees. He
says that science is increasingly important.
Meteorologists, for example, are becoming confident
about predicting events which cause droughts in
Australia. "If this can be done with accuracy then it will
have immense impact on stocking levels and how
much feed to provide," says Pitman, 'The end result
will be much greater efficiency."
Steve Morton of the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and
Ecology says the real challenge facing conservationists
is to convince the 85 per cent of Australians who live
in cities that they must foot a large part of the bill. "The
land is being used to feed the majority and to produce
wealth that circulates through the financial markets of
the cities," he says. One way would be to offer
incentives to extend the idea of stewardship to areas
outside the rangelands, so that more land could be
protected rather than exploited. Alexander agrees. "The
nation will have to debate to what extent it is willing to
support rural communities," she says. "It will have to
decide to what extent it wants food prices to reflect the
true cost of production. That includes the cost of
looking after the environment."
Reading UNIT 6
IELTS Reading
How to approach the task
The statements 8-15 below are simply paraphrases of the arguments
presented in the text.
Skim through the list of statements and the list of people once before you
begin the task, just to get an impression of the views and people you will be
looking for.
Begin reading the passage and stop when you come to the first person's name
and their view.
Skim through the list of statements looking for one that matches. In the first
instance this is Jason Alexandra (JA) and the view expressed in Question 12.
Continue reading the passage until you come to the next person and view. In
this way you may save yourself some time.
Questions 8-15
Match the views (8-15) with the people listed in the box below.
You may have to use some people more than once.
Current conservation schemes are taking many problems into account.
Ordinary people will have to help pay for conservation.
Conserving land is too expensive for farmers.
The Government can encourage farmers to do what it wants them to do.
Australia should review its import/export practices,
More conservation funds should be put into practical projects.
Much of the land in Australia is still unspoilt.
Research is necessary to help solve conservation problems.
People
JA Jason Alexandra
RH Robert Hadler
DG Dean Graetz
HA Helen Alexander
NC Neil Clark
MP Michael Pitman
SM Steve Morton
Reading
UNIT 7 Identifying opinion/attitude and making
IELTS frequently tests candidates on their ability to identify opinions and views as they are
presented in a text. The terms 'views' or 'claims' are used in the test instructions and may refer to
arguments or opinions put forward by the writer or by other people referred to by the writer.
FACT, OPINION OR CLAIM?
1 Read the following excerpts from articles and decide whether they are giving an
opinion, making a claim or presenting a fact.
a Like crying and laughing, yawning
is a variation of normal breathing.
It is a reflex action that is not
under conscious control.
с Based on our findings, future changes to Antarctic maps
resulting from major improvements in source info:
are likely to be minimal.
b I find playing a Shakespearean character very
different from giving a concert or doing an
emotional scene in a film. Performing music
doesn't take that kind of concentration.
Many companies have schemes that reward
high sales but in my experience they fail to
take notice of the 'backroom' members of the
teams who help to make such sales possible.
e At the tender age of just three months, little boys can detect a
difference between male and female babies - and it seems they
like the boys better, say researchers in Britain.
Read the article below and continue to highlight some of the facts and opinions in it.
Books, Films and Plays
The novelist's medium is the
written word, one might almost
say the printed word; the novel as
we know it was born with the
invention of printing. Typically,
the novel is consumed by a silent,
solitary reader, who may be
anywhere at the time. The
paperback novel is still the cheapest,
most portable and adaptable form
of narrative entertainment. It is
limited to a single channel of
information - writing. But within
that restriction it is the most
versatile of narrative forms. The
narrative can go, effortlessly,
anywhere: into space, people's
heads, palaces, prisons and
pyramids, without any
consideration of cost or practical
feasibility. In determining the
shape and content of his narrative,
the writer of prose fiction is
constrained by nothing except
purely artistic criteria.
This does not necessarily make
his task any easier than that of the
writer of plays and screenplays,
who must always be conscious of
practical constraints such as
budgets, performance time,
casting requirements, and so on.
The very infinity of choice
enjoyed by the novelist is a source
of anxiety and difficulty. But the
Reading UNIT 7
novelist does retain absolute
control over his text until it is
published and received by the
audience. He may be advised by
his editor to revise his text, but if
the writer refused to meet this
condition no one would be
surprised. It is not unknown for a
well established novelist to deliver
his or her manuscript and expect
the publisher to print it exactly as
written. However, not even the
most well established playwright
or screenplay writer would submit
a script and expect it to be
performed without any rewriting.
This is because plays and motion
pictures are collaborative forms of
narrative, using more than one
channel of communication.
The production of a stage play
involves, as well as the words of
the author, the physical presence
of the actors, their voices and
gestures as orchestrated by the
director, spectacle in the form of
lighting and "the set", and possibly
music. In film, the element of
spectacle is more prominent in the
sequence of visual images,
heightened by various devices of
perspective and focus. In film too,
music tenets to be more pervasive
and potent than in straight drama.
So, although the script is the
essential basis of both stage play
and film, it is a basis for
subsequent revision negotiated
between the writer and the other
creative people involved; in the
case of the screenplay, the writer
may have little or no control over
the final form of his work.
Contracts for the production of
plays protect the rights of authors
in this respect. They are given
"approval" of the choice of
director and actors and have the
right to attend rehearsals. Often a
good deal of rewriting takes place
in the rehearsal period and
sometimes there is an opportunity
for more rewriting during
previews before the official
opening night.
In film or television work, on
the other hand, the screenplay
writer usually has no contractual
right to this degree of
consultation. Practice in t h i s
respect varies very much from one
production company to another,
and according to the nature of the
project and the individuals
involved. In short, while the script
is going through its various drafts,
the writer is in the driver's seat,
albeit receiving advice and
criticism from the producer and
the director. But once the
production is under way, artistic
control over the project tends to
pass to the director. This is a fact
overlooked by most journalistic
critics of television drama, who
tend (unlike film critics) to give
all the credit or blame for success
or failure of a production to the
writer and actors, ignoring the
contribution, for good or ill,
of the director.
2 What type of article is this?
A a review
В a case study
С a narrative
D a discussion
YES, NO, NOT GIVEN
A task that is often used to test your understanding of the writer's message is one
that provides a list of possible views or claims and asks you if they agree with
what the writer says or not.
IELTS Reading
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the Reading
Passage? Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage
Reading UNIT 7
How to approach the task
Take some time to read the rubric to this task carefully, so that you
understand the difference between a 'NO' answer and a 'NOT GIVEN' answer.
If you write 'NO' as your answer, you are saying that the claim expressed in
the question is the opposite of the view presented in the passage. This is quite
different from a 'NOT GIVEN' answer which says that you can find nothing in
the passage about this idea.
Read each statement carefully, noting the key words and making sure you
understand what is meant by each of them.
Then skim through the article to see if you can locate a similar or opposite
idea.
Look at the example. The key words are novelists, concern, difficulties, other
artists. The statement is a paraphrase of the last sentence in the first
paragraph and parts of the first sentence in the next paragraph.
Now complete the exercise.
Example Answer
Novelists do not have to concern themselves with many of
the difficulties faced by other artists. NOT GIVEN
3 Novelists have fewer restrictions on their work than playwrights.
4 Novelists must agree to the demands of their editors.
5 Playwrights envy the simplicity of the novelist's work,
6 Music is a more significant element of theatre than cinema.
7 Experience in the theatre improves the work of screenplay writers.
8 Playwrights can revise their work continuously.
9 Directors usually have the final say in how a TV drama will turn out.
For further IELTS practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 113.
IDENTIFYING ATTITUDE AND MAKING INFERENCES
It is difficult to identify attitudes and infer meaning because often you need to
understand something that is not directly stated. For example, in the third
paragraph of the text on the previous page, it is possible to infer (or deduce) that
screenplay writers are sometimes barred from rehearsals, although this is not
directly stated.
IELTS recognises that these are very demanding reading skills and so they are
not tested very often. If they are tested, the common task-type is a multiplechoice
question which offers a number of possible interpretations of a
view/argument and requires you to select the correct one.
Reading UNIT 7
10 Read the following extracts from various articles and discuss what inferences you
can make from them and whether you can identify the writer's attitude.
Dr Masson recounts tales of animal
rescues, favours, longings, friendships
and enmities. But he does himself no
favours with his own emotive
language, which will alienate many
scientists. Animals are referred to
throughout by the pronoun 'who'
rather than 'which', for example,
The hardline view is that animals do
not have the consciousness or selfawareness
required for emotional
feeling. This is a convenient assumption
for a society that keeps animals in
homes, zoos, farms and laboratories.
My grandmother had no redeeming features. She was huge and
always directed all her hugeness at me when she came to stay
with us. Her arms were strong enough to strangle a bear, let
alone a five-year-old boy. I knew if I were to live to be a man,
I would have to find some protection against my grandmother.
IELTS Reading
Read the
following
extract from
a book review
and answer
Questions
11-13.
Astonishing the Gods by Ben Okri is
not for the habitually cynical. Nor,
even if you're not a habitual cynic,
is it the kind of book that should
be read on a day when the real
world is likely to intrude. This book
oozes escapism. But it isn't easy or
simple to digest.
So, to avoid irritation, do not try to
read this short but intense novel on
your way to work or at times when
you might have to stop to answer
telephone calls or cope with domestic
or other practicalities. Also, avoid it
like the plague if you are hooked on
straightforward linear narratives or if
you're the sort of person who can
only identify with trees that are trees
and buildings that don't dissolve into
thin air.
Apologies for appearing to labour
this point about who should read Okri
and about when and how he should
be read. But he has been so harshly
criticised by the impatiently
earthbound that the point cannot be
made strongly enough. If you aren't
capable of - or in the mood for -
locking yourself away for a few hours
and allowing your mind to drift in a
dreamlike state down magical,
mythical avenues, you'd be best to
settle for a book with a 'normal' plot,
tangible landscapes and effortlessly
understandable characters.
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1 1-13 on your answer sheet.
11 According to the writer, the book should be read
A several times.
В in short bursts.
С with an open mind.
D by an experienced reader.
12 The book contains
A offensive material.
В a complex story.
С life-like characters.
D imaginative humour.
13 Some readers have failed to
A appreciate Okri's style.
В understand Okri's message.
С recognise the setting of the book.
D finish reading the book.
Reading
UNIT 8 The General Training module, Section 1
How much do you know about the IELTS General Training (GT) Reading module? (Check your
answers with the introductory section.)
1 How many sections are there?
2 How long do you have to answer the questions?
3 How many questions are there?
The GT Reading module presents a series of graded texts and accompanying questions that test a
variety of reading skills. The task types are similar to those used in the Academic module and
Section 3 of the GT module is the same as an Academic Reading section. However, the text types
in GT Sections 1 and 2 are very different from those in the Academic module.
4 Approximately how long should you spend on Section 1?
5 What is the general theme of the texts in Section 1?
MULTIPLE CHOICE
In Section 1, you are most likely to be tested on your ability to find or identify
factual information, but you may also have to use your skills to deduce or infer
an answer. Texts in Section 1 of the General Training module are short and may
take a variety of formats.
Read the following advertisements and answer the multiple-choice questions.
6 This is an
advertisement for
A a pocket calculator.
В binoculars.
С a camera.
D sunglasses.
Sureshot M
Ideal pocket autofocus
compact, fully automatic,
high quality lens
was £129 VISA & MASTERCARD
Reading UNIT 8
7 What sort of event is being
advertised?
A a circus
В a film
С a fashion display
D a talk
The price for this mosquito net includes
A something to carry it in.
В a tube of repellant.
С an impregnation kit.
D a treated pillow.
9 The advertisement suggests that the net can
A be used by children.
В fold up to a small size.
С be enlarged to fit any bed.
D be zipped or sewn.
Reading UNIT 8
TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN
This is another type of task that may be used to test your ability to scan for
specific information.
IELTS Reading (GT)
How to approach the task
It is worth taking some time to read the rubric to this task carefully so that you
understand the difference between a 'FALSE' answer and a 'NOT GIVEN'
answer. If you write 'FALSE' as your answer, you are saying that the information
expressed in the question is the opposite of that presented in the text. This is
quite different from a 'NOT GIVEN' answer, which says that you can find
nothing in the text about this information.
Read the advertisement below and answer Questions 10-13 by writing
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if no information
is given about this
10 It will cost £35 for two people to go to Gatwick,
11 Chestfield Cars is a new organisation.
12 Chestfield Cars will go anywhere.
13 A discount is available for bookings of eight or more.
Reading UNIT 8
MATCHING
Matching is a test of your skimming and scanning skills and it is important to
develop these so that you are able to read quickly in order to find the
information that you need.
IELTS Reading (GT)
How to approach the task
Read through the list of statements (Questions 14-20) and highlight the key
words that will help you find the correct review.
Skim through each review and mark any possible areas that match
statements 14-20.
When you have skimmed through all the reviews, go back and decide which
ones contain ideas that directly match the statements.
If you have more than one possible answer, re-read the texts very carefully to
see if you can decide which is correct and which expresses a different
meaning. Although you may be able to match vocabulary items, the meaning
could be quite different.
Questions 14-20
Look at the reviews of running jackets A-F on the next page. Match the statements
about the jackets (14-20) to the descriptions in the reviews.
14 This jacket will give you the greatest protection in bad weather.
15 This is the least expensive of the jackets.
16 You can remove the hood of this jacket.
17 The company that makes this jacket has come up with a new fabric
18 This jacket makes more noise when you run than any other jackets.
19 You cannot buy this jacket at the moment.
20 This is suitable as a fashion jacket too.
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 114.
Follow-up
When you have finished this unit, you may move on to Reading Unit 2
Skimming/scanning for specific information and detail.
Reading UNIT 8
A Arlo Blockout £99.99
Features Double storm flap at front;
adjustable velcro straps on sleeves; hood
rolls away into collar.
Evaluation As the dropped tail, slightly
heavier material and storm flaps show, this
is not exclusively a running jacket. That
doesn't mean you can't run in it. You can,
although you feel and hear it a lot more
than the others. The water-proofing is
excellent, but it struggled to allow any air
circulation on longer runs. But if you intend
to do more than run in the jacket, this is the
one for you.
В Fine World £84.99
Features Reflective piping on back of
shoulders and logo on collar; detachable
hood;two side pockets.
Evaluation Fine World set out with the
intent of finding a fully waterproof,
breathable material at an affordable price.
It has largely achieved thai with a coated
nylon which is fairly light, reasonably quiet
and certainly keeps out the water. Where it
suffers is in its ability to keep you dry
inside. The polyester lining was always
soaking after every run, especially around
the upper body.
С Fine Form £119.99
Features Concealed hood, front and
back reflective trim; two side pockets,
Evaluation This is a classic, no-frills
jacket specifically designed Tor the running
market. It is heavier than some of the other
models, but it's certainly the best one to be
wearing in the midst of a storm. Due to the
weight, you tend to generate more sweat
when you're running, which it struggles to
clear. It is expensive but well finished
throughout. One minor irritant is the hood,
which is bulky when rolled away in the
collar and would be better detached
D High Flyer £49.99
Features Reflective piping; half-body
lining; two side pockets,
Evaluation If you want light and quiet,
this is your jacket. The material must be
one of the lightest around. It has a soft,
cotton-like feel which cuts down on the
usual noise of the jacket rubbing against
itself. But while water initially beaded and
fell off the jacket, in a heavy downpour it
can become quite damp inside. However,
it did dry out again particularly quickly. If
you're worried about price, this is a good
option.
E Run riot £79.99
Features Concealed hood; reflective
piping; side pockets.
Evaluation Their new material, Vortex, is
extremely light, fully waterproof and seems
to breathe pretty well. Rather than just a
warm-up jacket, this really is a model we
felt you could train in. The all-round vents
help the body breathe, and though the
mesh lining was sometimes damp after a
run, the outer material wasn't.
(NB The jacket is not available until next
season.)
F Storm-trooper £119.99
Features Reflective trim on body and
sleeves; elasticated Velcro cuffs; thick
collar.
Evaluation Despite its appearance,
Storm-trooper's weatherproof material has a
soft f e e l . However, although the large back
vents help air circulate, it doesn't keep you
perfectly dry inside, and the fleecy collar
doesn't help. Nevertheless, everyone who
ran in the jacket liked it a lot. In fact, it
looked almost too good to go out running
in. The one curious thing is the colour.
Despite the reflective elements, near-black
is a strange choice for a winter jacket.
Reading
UNIT 9
Section 2 of the General Training module also tests your ability to retrieve factual information and the
task types that you may come across will be similar to those in Section 1.
1 What is the general theme of the texts in Section 2?
2 How many words will you have to read in Section 2?
MATCHING
One of the texts in Section 2 may be made up of smaller texts. Look at the
advertisements on the next page. Skim through the information to get a general
idea of the content.
3 What are the advertisements for?
4 How many residences are expensive?
When you skim through a text like this the first time, it is a good idea to make
use of any graphics, keys and all headings/titles etc. to help you get an overview
of the content.
IELTS Reading (GT)
Answer Questions 5-9 by writing the appropriate telephone numbers in boxes 5-9 on
your answer sheet.
NB You may use any number more than once.
Which number would you ring if you are interested in
5 a double room and full board at a reasonable price?
6 long-term single accommodation with sports facilities?
7 inexpensive accommodation for yourself and your family?
8 low-budget, furnished accommodation for yourself and your partner?
9 a room close to the university with linen and laundry included?
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 114.
Reading UNIT 9
Student Accommodation Guide
Enjoy mixing with other students in
luxury accommodation 30 minutes from
the station and close to all main bus
routes. Single and double rooms.
Students provide own food but all
cleaning services offered. Please bring
your own linen.
Single or double rooms for students.
Fully air-conditioned with all amenities.
Only a few minutes on foot to the city
centre and close to colleges. All services
and meals included. The management
do not provide room-mates for
individuals seeking double occupancy.
We can provide all types of
accommodation for all types of single
student. Rooms are fully furnished with
linen and have reasonable rates. Full
board possible. 35-40 minutes from
main universities and city. Please
observe codes of conduct.
We offer scenic views and old-world
charm. Located in pleasant rural
surroundings. Relax after a long day by
swimming in the pool or using the
exercise gym. Separate study rooms
available. No children. Bar & restaurant.
Ideal for new students, we provide
double rooms. If you wish, we can offer
assistance in finding a suitable person to
share a room with. All washing and
cleaning services offered at extra
charge. Large canteen and three
bathrooms on each floor. Sports centre
next door
Do you worry that you'll not have
enough money to see the term through?
Don't waste it on expensive housing.
This is a hostel for students run by
students. No references and no rules.
Shared bathroom, dormitory
accommodation.
Must provide own linen. All cleaning
operates on a rota system. Singles only.
This is a hotel but it offers apartment
style housing so that you can retain
some independence. Single or double
rooms available with separate bathroom.
All unfurnished. Children welcome.
Bed and breakfast hotel offers student
accommodation for limited period only.
Vacancies for on-the-spot reservations
usually available. Own bathroom and
"laundry racifitres but no cooking on
premises. Sports room and small pool.
KEY * cheap ** reasonable *** expensive
Reading UNIT 9
PARAGRAPH HEADINGS
Reading Section 2 may also test your global reading skills. Look at the IELTS
activity below and the passage on the following page.
IELTS Reading
How to approach the task (class activity)
Skim through the passage once to get a general idea of what it is about.
Read it a second time and underline any key words or ideas in Paragraph A.
Discuss why x is the correct heading for this paragraph and all the others are
wrong.
Go on to Paragraph B. Discuss the key ideas and then select the best heading
for this paragraph.
Do the rest of the exercise on your own.
The Reading Passage on the following page has six paragraphs A-F.
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate letters (i-x) in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
You may use any heading more than once.
List of Headings
Unexpected growth
How it all started
When to pick the right course
Making demands
The participants
First attempts
Factors influencing school leavers
Focus on equality
Higher education needs
A hard choice
Example
Paragraph A
10 Paragraph В
11 Paragraph С
12 Paragraph D
Answer
x
13 Paragraph E
14 Paragraph F
Reading UNIT 9
Visit to Student Fair
is Vital Homework
A The number and variety of courses on
offer these days makes it difficult to pick the
right one. But thousands of Europeans who
flock to Brussels Exhibition Centre will be
shown how to simplify the difficult job of
choosing the right course of study for the
career they wish to pursue.
В Ten years ago a handful of Belgian
teenagers, baffled by the array and number
of university courses on offer, put their
heads together to try to hack their way
through the academic undergrowth. They
knew that choosing the wrong subject or
failing to make the grade would make
finding a job all the more difficult. They
decided something had to be done to help
students approach the task of choosing a
course in an effective way. They came up
with the idea of a Student Fair,
С It was decided that this would take the
form of a small forum for everyone in
Belgium involved in higher education from
both the French and Dutch-speaking parts of
the country. It would provide the opportunity
for representatives of educational institutions
to give information on the courses they have
on offer and allow school-leavers time to
discuss these with them.
D But what the youngsters did not know
was that they were tapping a source of
anxiety among students right across Europe.
The fair became an annual event. It
expanded to include higher education
bodies from the whole continent, becoming
known as the European Student Fair.
E Each year ten million students are faced
with the same dilemma/ said exhibition
organiser Valerie de Norre. The
bewildering variety of options, the evolution
of the employment market, the economic
downturn, changes in working methods and
personal interests all play an important role
in the decision-making process. We hope
the fair can help people make the correct
decision for themselves.'
F This year the theme of the fair is 'the
right to education for all' and to mark this
there is a special exhibition area for bodies
that promote equal opportunities in
education. Also, the Master of Business
Administration course continues to attract an
enormous amount of interest across Europe
and, in response to demand, fair organisers
are once again holding an MBA day.
Follow-up
For further practice in this task, go to Reading Unit 4 Improving global reading
skills.
In order to prepare for General Training Reading Section 3, you should cover
Reading Units 1, 5, 6 and 7.
The Writing Module
GENERAL WRITING STRATEGIES
As a student at college or university, you will have to
produce a lot of written material. Some of this may be
in the form of short essays or reports. Other pieces of
writing will be longer and will require considerable
planning and attention to detail. It will therefore be
important for you to be able to express yourself
clearly, write in a variety of styles and organise your
ideas carefully. You will also need to be fairly accurate
in your writing, so that your message is not obscured
by a lot of grammatical errors.
IELTS WRITING (ACADEMIC)
IELTS tests your ability to produce two quite different
pieces of writing in a fairly short period of time. The
test is divided into two parts and you are allowed one
hour to complete both parts.
Writing Task 1
In the first part, you are given a task based on some
graphic or pictorial information. You are expected to
write a descriptive report of at least 150 words on the
information provided,
Writing Task 2
The second task is more demanding. You are expected
to produce a written argument on a given topic and to
organise your answer clearly, giving some examples to
support your points. You will have to write at least 250
words and, as Task 2 is longer than Task 1, you are
advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on this
task and 20 minutes on the first task.
IELTS WRITING (GENERAL TRAINING)
If you are planning to take the GT module, the Writing
test is different. You are allowed one hour to complete
two tasks, of 150 and 250 words, as in the Academic
module. However, Task 1 is always a letter, while Task 2
is an essay based on a given topic.
If you are studying for the General Training module,
you should begin with Writing Units 5 and 6.
Writing
Being able to understand and describe graphic information or data is an important academic skill.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 tests your ability to describe factual information, presented in
graphic and diagrammatic form, clearly and accurately.
BAR CHARTS
A fact is different from an opinion because it is
objective and often involves measurement. For
example, the graph on the left shows what a group of
students think about a film they have just seen.
Having looked at this graph, you could say that half
the students did not like the film. Or you could say
that 50 per cent of the students did not like the film.
You could be even more specific and state that 15 out
of 30 students did not like the film. These are all facts.
Find out some factual information about your class
members or your friends and family. How many of
them enjoy taking part in the following activities? Put
a tick against each activity the people like doing and
then write the total in the Total column. Then turn the
table into a bar chart.
Make some factual statements about the data. Try to
use all the following structures:
number (e.g. flue out often) students enjoy...
percentage (e.g. 50 per cent of) students enjoy ...
general (e.g. the majority of / a large number of I most / very few / hardly any)
students enjoy ...
For more practice in describing graphs, do Exercise A in the Supplementary
activities on page 115.
Writing UNIT 1
PIE CHARTS
Look at this pie chart, which shows how a young woman
called Tomoko spends her money.
Look at the sentences below that have been written
about the pie chart. See if you can correct them.
1 Tomoko spends an equal amount of money on
rent, food, study materials and entertainment.
2 Tomoko spends 45 per cent of her money on
rent and food, but she only spends 15 per
cent of her money on study materials.
3 Tomoko spends more on clothes than she
spends on study materials.
4 Tomoko spends as much money on rent and food
as she does on everything else put together.
For further practice, do Exercise В in the Supplementary activities on page 115.
TABLES
A popular magazine conducted a survey about their readers' smoking habits. Here
are the results:
Complete the following sentences which describe some of the facts in the table.
5 the readers have never smoked.
6 Almost a third of the readers but have now given
up.
7 A of readers smoke less than ten cigarettes a day.
8 Generally speaking, men are than women.
9 of readers who smoke more than twenty a day is
quite small, at 11 per cent overall.
10 The figures for the 20-plus group and the 10-19 group
Writing
Line graphs are used to show a trend or pattern which usually takes place over a period of time. It is
important to look at the overall pattern on a line graph as well as the significant features within it.
LINE GRAPHS
1 What information is being shown in the graph below?
2 Here are two simple descriptions of the graph;
The number of overseas students studying at the university has risen. Or
The graph shows an increase in the number of overseas students at the university.
Add 'considerably' to the first sentence and 'considerable' to the second sentence.
What effect does this word have?
3 Here are some words and phrases to help you describe trends:
nouns adjectives and adverbs phrase
a rise
an increase
a fall
a drop
a decline
a peak/dip
sharp(ly) / dramatic (ally)
considerable(ly)
steady(ily)
slight(ly) / gentle(ly)
gradual(ly)
relative(ly)
remain the same
reach a plateau
remain stable
remain/stay constant
reach a peak
hit/fall to the lowest point
Writing UNIT 2
Using some of the words and phrases on the previous page, describe the pattern in
each graph below.
EXAMINING THE AXES
This trend looks very simple but think
about it before you describe it.
5 Is the graph about people or vehicles?
6 What do the numbers along the
horizontal axis represent?
7 What do the numbers on the vertical axis
represent?
8 Write a short, general statement about
car ownership in Britain.
9 Now include the time period. Use:
a since 1960 b (over a 40-year period)
between I960 and 2000
Writing UNIT 2
10 Now include the number of car owners in both sentences. (This may mean that
you have to re-organise your sentence.)
11 Write a fuller description of the graph at the beginning of this unit.
For further practice, do Exercise A in the Supplementary activities on page 115.
12 Write one sentence that describes what each of the graphs below is about. Then
describe the trends that you can see in each graph.
13 What does the graph below show?
14 How is this graph different from the ones you have looked at so far?
15 Why do you think this information was presented on a line graph?
16 What tense will you use to describe it?
17 Write four sentences about the trends you can see in the above graph. See how
many different types of structures your class can produce and write them all
down. Practise using the words stable, fewer, rise, sales, peak, drop, popular.
Writing UNIT 2
Follow-up
What is being shown in the graph below?
Read the following
description of the
graph above.
Discuss what is wrong with the above paragraph, then write your own paragraph,
making improvements. A model answer, one of many possible versions, is given on
page 182.
For further practice, do the IELTS task, Exercise В of the Supplementary
activities on page 116.
Writing
UNIT 3 Summarising data
In the IELTS test there maу be a lot of information to describe, in a limited number of words. If is
essential that you select the appropriate details and organise the material in a relevant way in
order to fulfil the task requirements satisfactorily.
SELECTING IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Examine the graph below carefully.
Mobile phone owner growth
1 Write one sentence which says what the graph shows.
2 Write two sentences which give overall information about the graph.
3 Write a fourth sentence about France.
4 Write a fifth sentence about the UK.
5 Write a final sentence about Germany.
Exchange your answers with a partner and discuss the features you chose to
describe. Then look at the sample answer in the Key on page 182.
Writing UNIT 3
Follow-up
Discuss the important features of the following graph.
Average book prices, in pounds sterling - statistics published by the Policy Studies Institute
COMPARING DATA
When you interpret graphs, tables and charts, you will find that you have to
compare and contrast some of the details. Your examiner will be checking that
you can structure your answer well and connect your ideas appropriately. The
following table may help you do this.
Look at the following diagram.
Writing UNIT 3
Complete the gaps in the following paragraph that describes the diagram on the
previous page.
Generally speaking men are (6) women in running events. The gap
is greatest in the long-distance events and (7) in the sprints. In the
six-day running event, the best male runners can cover 640 miles,
(8) the fastest women cover only 548 miles. This represents a
difference of 16.8 per cent. This difference becomes (9) significant
in the shorter events. In the 100m, for example, there is only a 6.1 per cent
(10) in performance between men and women.
Compare some of the other details on this diagram.
GROUPING INFORMATION
When organising your answer it may
also help to 'group' some of the
information. This is particularly the
case when there is a lot of data, as in
the graph on the right.
Here there are too many age groups for
each to be described independently,
so it helps to group some of them.
How to approach the task
Consider what the graph shows and think about the vocabulary and tenses
you will use in describing it.
Select two significant features of the graph (overall) to write about.
Note some points about the earning power of female graduates by grouping
the ages 25-59.
Note some points about the male graduates by grouping the ages as you feel
is appropriate.
Consider the comparisons you will make.
Think about a final point.
Now write a paragraph describing the information shown in the graph.
For further practice, do the IELTS Supplementary activity on page 117.
Writing
UNIT 4 Describing a process
In Writing Task 1 you may occasionally be asked to describe a process or other pictorial information
such as a cycle or map. In order to produce a report describing a process you should take a similar
approach to the one you used in describing data. You should examine the information carefully -
which will be in pictorial form - and make sure you understand it. Look specifically at the beginning
and the end of the process. Then, following the same principles as outlined in previous units, you
should provide an opening sentence that summarises the overall function of the process.
1 Discuss what the following diagram is about. Then write a sentence which
summarises the process.
New technology plans to save Venice
Hydraulic arms
(to lower
centrifugal pump]
A new silent dredging boat means in future
there will be no need to drain canals for cleaning
Shuttle boat
(towed out
of city for
dumping)
• Describe the process verbally to each other. See if you agree on the facts. Then
write your description of the process in 20 minutes.
How to approach the task
List some of the verbs that you will use in your answer.
Suggest some suitable connectives. What should you avoid doing when you
link the stages in the process?
Decide what tenses you will use. What does this depend on?
Compare your description with your partner's. Look particularly at the verbs and
connectors that he/she has used.
There are various ways that you can respond to this task and the sample answer
in the Answer Key is one example.
Writing UNIT 4
IELTS Writing (Academic)
You should spend about 20 minutes on t h i s task.
The diagram below shows how the water cycle works.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.
You should write at least 150 words.
Read some descriptions aloud in class and discuss them.
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 117,
Writing
UNIT 5 General Training, Task 1
Letters are an important form of communication. In the General Training Writing Task 1 you are
given a situation and tested on your ability to write a letter in an appropriate style in order to
achieve a certain outcome. You need to include all the necessary details so that the purpose of
your letter is clear and the reader can easily understand your message.
THE TASK
The task will present a situation to you on the question paper. You have to write
in the first person and imagine yourself in the situation given. Here is an example:
You recently went shopping at the local supermarket. When you got home and
studied your bill you found that you had been charged for items you did not
purchase.
Write a letter to the supermarket manager explaining what has happened. Tell
the manager how you feel about the error and ask him to do something about it,
1 Underline the verbs in this task which express what you have to do.
THE PURPOSE
It is important to remember that a letter is a form of communication. Formal or
semi-formal letters are always written with a particular purpose in mind.
2 What is really meant by a 'purpose'? Give some examples.
3 What sort of things may prevent a letter from achieving its purpose?
4 What purpose is intended in the task above?
Starting out
The purpose is sometimes stressed at the beginning of a letter. (It depends on
the type of letter you are writing as to how much you emphasise your purpose
at the start or whether you decide to leave it to the end of the letter.) However,
you do need to open your letter with something that will be appropriate for the
reader and will capture the reader's attention and there are structures to help
you do this. Read the following examples:
5 What sort of tone do these structures have?
6 How might you begin a letter of apology to a friend?
Discuss the purpose of each of the following letters.
7 A letter to the gas company about а в A letter to a close relative with an
second bill (or reminder) you received invitation to a surprise party,
when you had already paid the first.
9 A letter to an old teacher asking
for a reference for a job.
10 A letter to a garage about some poor
mechanical work they did on your car.
Writing UNIT 5
Write an opening sentence or sentences for the above letters, then discuss these
with your teacher.
EXPLAINING THE SITUATION
It is important that any background you provide on the situation is clear and
includes all the information the reader needs.
• Re-read the first paragraph of the task on page 78 and look at the ideas in the
bubble diagram below.
Write the first part of your letter giving an explanation of what happened at the
supermarket. (You will write the second half of the letter in Writing Unit 6.)
How to approach the task
You will need to invent some information for this task. You must use your
imagination but make sure your ideas are realistic and fit the situation.
Copy this diagram and replace the ideas in the bubbles with realistic
information.
Consider the order in which you would want to present the information in a
letter,
Consider the tenses you will use.
Writing
UNIT6 General Training, Task 1 continued
Once you have your purpose clearly in mind and have given the reader some background
information, you should continue with your message. The tone and level of formality that you use in
your letter will affect how successful you are at communicating your message.
THE MESSAGE
Expressing feelings
There are many feelings that you may wish to convey in a letter. Here are some
of the vocabulary and structures associated with them.
1 What other feelings might you want to express in a letter?
Writing UNIT6
Making requests, suggestions, etc.
You may also have to request or suggest something in your letter.
2 Look at the list of sentences and expressions below. What do you notice about
those in the left-hand column?
3 Discuss with your teacher how a reader would react to some of the statements in
the left-hand column.
Rewrite some of the messages in the left-hand column using a structure from the
right-hand column.
Write the second part of your letter in which you state how you feel about the
supermarket error and ask the manager to do something about it. (See pages
78-79.)
IELTS Writing (GT) Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You have decided that you would
like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city.
Write to your friend explaining what you would like to do. Tell him/her what
type of work or studies you have been doing for the past few years and ask for
assistance in contacting an appropriate institution.
You should write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write your own address.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ,
A model answer, one of many possible approaches, is given on page 186.
For more letter-writing practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 118.
To prepare for General Training Task 2, you should study Writing Units 7-11.
Writing
UNIT 7 Academic and General Training, Task 2
See what you can remember about Writing Task 2 from your reading of the introduction to the
Writing module on page 66.
1 How many words are you expected to write?
2 How long should you spend on the task?
3 What sort of writing are you expected to produce?
4 What must you include in your answer?
5 What sort of things do you think the examiners will be checking for?
UNDERSTANDING THE INSTRUCTIONS
There are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers to this task, but you must read the question
carefully and make sure you understand exactly what you have to write about.
The introduction to Writing Task 2 is as follows:
Academic
Present a written argument or case to
an educated reader with no specialist
knowledge of the following topic:
OR General Training
As part of a class assignment you
have to write about the following
topic:
What sort of answer do you think you should write?
After the task, the instructions state:
Academic
You should use your own ideas,
knowledge and experience and
support your arguments with
examples and relevant evidence.
How should you approach the task?
OR General Training
Give reasons for your answer.
Writing UNIT 7
APPROACHING THE TASK
Read the following task.
Enormous effort is put into researching and marketing 'the perfect potato
crisp' while research into stress at work, for example, is ignored.
How important are staff working conditions? Should employers research and
improve the working conditions of their staff or should they concentrate more
on their product?
6 Which of the following areas would it be appropriate to include in your answer?
a a comparison of different types of product
b a discussion of the difficulties of food industries
с an analysis of the effects of bad working environments
d an explanation of how to make potato crisps
e an analysis of how to be successful in business
f a description of a business you know well
g an analysis of the importance of a company's product
h a discussion of how products are manufactured
i a discussion of the value of company staff
Read the task below and discuss with your partner what it means and what it is
asking you to write about.
The age of Information Technology has taken a lot of people by surprise.
While it has become a way of life for some, others know very little about it and
may be unlikely to learn. Eventually we will have a polarised society and this
will lead to serious social problems.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Write some examples (as in a-i above) of the areas you might cover in an answer.
Do not feel that you must agree with the argument put forward in the question.
Try to re-write the task in your own words.
On your own, write your answer simply and clearly in about 250 words.
FORMING IDEAS
Your examiner will expect you to present clearly a number of relevant ideas in
your answer.
You can develop ideas on a topic that has a central theme by brainstorming.
Before you turn over, take a look again at the bubble diagram on page 79.
Writing UNIT 7
Get into groups of two to four students and discuss this statement:
Children over 15 should be allowed to make decisions about their lives
without the interference of their parents or teachers. Society should accept
that children mature at a younger age these days and should adjust the law
accordingly.
Discuss this statement in relation to your own society or a society that you
know well.
As you develop ideas, get one member of your group to complete a bubble diagram
on an OHP transparency.
When you have finished, look at the diagrams that your class has produced.
Discuss some of them and see whether your classmates have come up with any
different ideas.
Another way of developing your ideas on a topic that has two sides is to make
a list of 'pros' and 'cons' or points 'for' and 'against'.
Read the following question.
Have newspapers become a medium of the past or do they still play an
important role in people's lives?
This time work on your own.
Get a new sheet of paper
and draw a line down
the middle of it like this:
See what ideas you can come up with.
Compare your ideas with those of others in your class.
Produce a complete class list for each side of the argument.
Write up your answer in 250 words.
For more practice on developing ideas, do the Supplementary activity on
page 118.
Writing
UNIT 8 Planning a structure
In the examination you will have very little time to plan your answer, but your examiner will be
looking for a clear underlying structure in your response.
1 What do you think is meant by a 'clear underlying structure'?
ORGANISING IDEAS
The key to good, clear writing is simplicity. Do not start the introduction until
you know what you are going to say in your answer. Once you have thought of
some relevant ideas, you need to organise them. If you produce an answer that
presents a list of ideas without development, you will lose marks.
2 What do you think is involved in organising your ideas?
3 What will happen to some of your ideas?
Spend ten minutes doing a 'for/against' activity (see page 84) on the following
topic.
Should parents be obliged to immunise their children against common
childhood diseases? Or do individuals have the right to choose not to
immunise their children?
Now organise your ideas in preparation for writing the answer (which you will be
asked to do at the end of this Unit).
How to approach the task
Decide which of the ideas in your lists are 'key' ideas. (You may not agree on
this, so try to argue your case.)
Discuss how many of the key ideas you think you could cover in 250 words.
Take a new sheet of paper and divide it into columns so that you have one
column for each key idea. Discuss what order you think the ideas should go
in. Write the key ideas at the top of each column in the order you have
decided.
Select some supporting points for each key idea from your lists. Write these
beneath the relevant key idea.
Think about your own experience and consider if you have any further
supporting points to add.
Writing UNIT 8
On your own, get a new sheet of paper and write down all your ideas on the following
topic. Then plan your key ideas and supporting points. Do this in ten minutes.
As children do we have a natural ability and motivation to take up new
interests (such as languages, sports and musical instruments) which as adults
we seem to lose? Are there too many social pressures on adults or are there
other reasons for the apparent decline in a human being's capacity to learn?
THE INTRODUCTION
Your introduction is very important because it gives your reader their first
impression of your writing ability. However, you shouldn't begin your
introduction immediately.
4 What must you decide before you write the introduction?
5 Roughly how long should the introduction to an IELTS answer be?
6 Roughly how long should you spend writing the introduction?
7 How should you indicate the end of the introduction to your reader?
Your approach to writing an introduction will depend to a certain extent on the
task. IELTS tasks present a discussion topic that is fairly broad and can be
approached by candidates from different backgrounds. So one of the things you
need to do in the introduction is to define what you understand by the task and
state how you intend to approach it.
Read the following task and discuss what areas you could cover in your answer and
how you might introduce the topic.
A company in which every employee is made to feel important will run more
smoothly and experience greater success than a company that values some
employees above others. Discuss.
8 Underline words or ideas that you feel are open to different interpretations. One
approach you can take in an introduction is to pose questions that you then
explore in the main body of your answer. What kind of questions could you pose
in this introduction?
9 Consider your opinion about the statement presented in the task. An
introduction can include a sentence stating the writer's position on the topic (but
this is not essential). How could you state your position on this topic?
10 Write an introduction to the topic.
There is a model paragraph in the Answer Key. Remember that this model
answer is just one example of how you could introduce this topic.
The Supplementary activity on page 119 presents two more examples of
opening paragraphs to this topic which you may discuss.
Writing UNIT 8
THE CONCLUSION
Like the introduction, an answer that does not include a conclusion is also
incomplete. Your conclusion is important because it summarises your views for
the reader.
11 Roughly how long should the conclusion to an IELTS answer be?
12 How should you indicate the start of the conclusion to your reader?
Your conclusion should summarise the key ideas that you wrote about and your
views on these, resulting in a final verdict/decision/statement, if appropriate.
You can also be impartial (i.e. take no side) or state that you have no conclusion
to draw.
Structures like these can be useful in a conclusion:
To sum up In conclusion
Overall To conclude
In the final analysis Ultimately
Look at the fallowing model answer to the task at the top of page 86. Highlight the
key ideas in it and then write an appropriate conclusion in approximately 40 words.
Write up your answer to the first topic in this unit on immunisation. Compare your
answer with the models on page 185 in the Answer Key.
Writing
UNIT 9
In Writing Task 2, you are being tested on your ability to produce a clear, logical argument. The
General Training task may require more description than argument but this should still be clearly
presented.
EXPRESSING VIEWS
Your key ideas will form the basis of your argument. Often they can simply be
stated as facts, but if you want to personalise your argument, the following
structures can help you reinforce what is your opinion or show that you are
giving a general opinion.
/ would argue that
I (firmly) believe that
It seems to me that
I tend to think that
People argue that
Some people think/say that
It is understood that
It is generally accepted that
Write a sentence expressing one of your main ideas/opinions on the following:
a teenage drivers are unsafe с school uniforms should be compulsory
b air travel should cost less d books will soon be old-fashioned
Read some sentences aloud in class. Did the writer use an appropriate structure?
If not, why not?
MAKING CONCESSIONS
Another way of putting forward an argument without being too dogmatic, is to
admit that there are arguments that differ from your own. Linking words and
expressions such as while, although, despite the fact that are useful in doing this.
Also adverbs such as admittedly, certainly, etc. can be used. Look at the
following arguments for and against some well-known topics:
Writing UNIT 9
In each case, imagine that
your opinion is the 'against'
argument. Write a short
paragraph on each topic. Begin
with a sentence containing the
main argument and then clarify
your view by making a
concession. Here is an example:
Concessional structures are also useful for conclusions and summing up ideas.
REFUTING AN ARGUMENT
This is a forceful way of expressing an argument and is done by rejecting an
argument that you do not agree with. The following are examples of structures
that can be used to reject an argument:
I am unconvinced that It is hard to accept that It is unjustifiable to
I don't believe that There is little evidence
to support the ... that
say that
See if you can express a view on the following topics, by rejecting the first argument
(a) and then asserting the second argument (b), e.g.
/ don't believe that politicians should be paid high salaries. They are simply
employed to do a job like anybody else.
a politicians should be paid high salaries
a internet a useful resource for children
a running is good for you
a gambling should be banned
b a job like anybody else
b too much uncensored material
b many physical injuries
b useful revenue in tax
DEFINING/EXPLAINING
Sometimes it is necessary to
explain what we mean more
clearly. Look at the following:
Writing UNIT 9
Defining is particularly useful when you want to make your argument clearer or
when you are using terms that may have many possible interpretations. The
structures below can be helpful in doing this:
By... I mean In other words To be more precise
By this I mean That is to say Here I'm (not) referring to
Add another sentence to the following arguments using an expression from above:
a In my opinion, extended families are more successful than nuclear families.
b It is often said that young people are more tolerant than old people.
с I am convinced that an element of choice is important in the school curriculum,
d Job commitment is not always the key to success.
Read some of your sentences aloud and discuss their structure and content.
Read the following introduction to an IELTS question on the topic Examinations
serve no useful purpose and identify the writer's techniques in explaining his/her
argument:
1 How strong are the writer's views?
2 How would you develop this argument?
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 119.
Writing
UNIT 10 Developing an argument
In Writing Task 2, your examiner will be looking for main arguments that are clearly well supported.
You are even reminded of this in the instructions to the task.
MAKING THE MAIN ARGUMENT CLEAR
Read the following paragraph from a student essay on Why people commit crimes.
1 Can you identify the main and supporting argument(s)?
2 What is the problem with this paragraph?
Now read a paragraph from a different essay:
3 What do you think the question is?
4 Can you identify the main and supporting arguments?
5 What type of support is provided?
Link the following arguments using an appropriate expression from the list above.
Use something different in each gap.
6 It is impossible to predict what type of holidays people will be taking in 100 years'
time. We don't know, , whether space travel will be a realistic
option in the future , it is likely to completely transform our
traditional view of a holiday.
7 I would contend that supermarkets are here to stay. in some
countries they can offer so many products that it's hardly necessary to shop
anywhere else there are sometimes instances of local
opposition, but this is usually overcome.
8 Statistics show that the worst drivers in the world are young men.
as a driver, if you look closely at any car that is going too fast,
overtaking at the wrong place or driving too close to the car in front, it will
invariably have a teenager or young man in the driver's seat.
9 I strongly approve of the preservation of historical buildings. Too many have already
been destroyed; in my home town, whole streets of beautiful
regency houses were knocked down in order to build high-rise flats.
Look at the notes below which a student has written in order to prepare a response
to the topic: In the interests of public safety, dangerous sports should be banned.
Write the introduction and first paragraph of the answer.
Plan a second paragraph that argues against the topic.
Write this paragraph and the conclusion.
Writing
UNIT 11 Writing your answer
Remember that the purpose of the IELTS Writing
Task 1
interpreting graphs/charts/tables and
other graphic information (Academic)
- writing about facts/trends
- comparing and contrasting information
OR
engaging in personal correspondence (GT)
- explaining a situation
- communicating a message
test is to assess your skill in the following areas:
Task 2
writing a well-structured argument
- planning carefully
- demonstrating a well-organised answer with
good paragraphing
presenting a clear point of view
- clarifying main ideas
- supporting arguments
- giving personal experience/reasons
organising information
- selecting important points/information
- linking statements
writing accurately
- using appropriate structures and vocabulary
- demonstrating good spelling and punctuation
WRITING COHERENTLY
The IELTS exam assesses your ability to write clearly and link your ideas well. On
page 121 there is a table which gives a range of linkers and indicates how often
they should be used. (Note that it is poor style to repeatedly use certain linkers.)
Native speakers frequently use very simple words like this, these/those and such
to link ideas together.
Complete the following sentences by using one of the above words plus a noun:
Writing UNIT 11
4 Read the following
paragraph and
underline any
words which help
link ideas together.
here is always some controversy over whether it is
important to spend large sums of money on
medical research or whether more of this money
should be directed towards treating patients.
Obviously some medical research is essential. Without
it, we would have no vaccinations against diseases
such as polio, no drags such as antibiotics and no
treatments like x-rays or radiotherapy. Nevertheless,
the field of medical research is very competitive and
this has financial disadvantages. Take, for example,
the current research being conducted on the HIV
virus. In this field it is arguable that money is being
wasted in that scientists throughout the world are
working independently towards the same ultimate
goal - to find a cure for AIDS - and with the same
hope of becoming famous in the process. Surely it
would be more productive and less costly if these
scientists joined forces and an international research
team was set up with joint international funding.
BUILDING COMPLEX SENTENCES
Credit is given in the IELTS test for the successful control of complex sentence
structures. A complex sentence is basically a number of simple sentences linked
together using appropriate words and structures. Read the following sets of
sentences and see if you can link each set together into one complex sentence.
5 The graph is about student numbers in the UK.
The number of students in higher education has risen.
The rise has taken place over the last five years.
6 Students were asked how much they expect to earn when they start work,
40 per cent of them expect to earn about £21,000.
2 per cent expect to earn £40,000 or more.
7 A typical police force in Britain has 2500 officers.
A typical town has a population of 180,000.
At any one time, there are only 10 officers patrolling the streets of a typical town.
8 Drink-driving laws vary from country to country.
In Poland it is illegal to drive with more than 20 mg of alcohol in your blood.
In Italy it is illegal to drive with more than 80 mg of alcohol in your blood.
Writing UNIT 11
9 The percentage of one-person households in France has risen over the past
10 years.
In 1989, 27 per cent of households in France belonged to single people.
In 1999, 30 per cent of households in France belonged to single people.
10 The enrolment of students in first-degree courses has changed since last year.
The biggest change has taken place in the Biological Sciences.
9 per cent more students have enrolled in the Biological Sciences this year.
55,000 students enrolled in the Biological Sciences this year.
11 Read the following paragraph which describes the results of a survey. There are
no grammatical mistakes in the paragraph, but the ideas could be more clearly
explained and linked. See whether you can improve it with the help of some of the
words and phrases you have learnt so far.
For further practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 121.
The Speaking Module
WHAT TO EXPECT IN AN IELTS INTERVIEW
The IELTS Speaking test takes the form of a one-toone
interview. There are three parts to the Speaking
test. These allow you to demonstrate your spoken
English skills through a number of tasks. The tasks
are designed to elicit a range of language on a variety
of topics.
The whole interview takes between twelve and
fourteen minutes. Here is an overview of the
Speaking test format showing the three parts and the
approximate timing of each.
Part 1
Introduction and
interview
4-5 minutes
Part 2
Individual long
turn
3-4 minutes
Part 3
Two-way
discussion
4-5 minutes
11-14 minutes
Interaction
The candidate has the
opportunity to speak on
familiar topics. The examiner
asks a number of questions
to which the candidate should
reply as fully as possible.
The candidate is asked to give
a short talk for 1-2 minutes on
a topic chosen by the examiner.
The candidate has a minute to
prepare and then speaks on
the topic without stopping.
The candidate is presented
with more abstract questions
broadly linked to the topic
introduced in Part 2, and is
encouraged to engage in
extensive discussion
IELTS Bands
9 Expert user
8 Very good user
7 Good user
6 Competent user
5 Modest user
4 Limited user
3 Extremely limited user
2 Intermittent user
1 Non-user
Speaking INTRODUCTION
THE EXAMINER'S ROLE
IELTS examiners are teachers who have been specially trained to rate spoken English
on the IELTS scale. They are chosen to be helpful and encouraging so that you can do
your best on the day of the test. They know that you may be nervous but they can only
assess what they hear so they will expect you to speak up. The examiners rate your
language on a scale of 1-9 in four broad areas. In brief, they want to find out if you
can:
speak fluently and link ideas coherently
demonstrate a range of appropriate vocabulary
use accurate grammar and appropriate register
speak so that you can be understood
THE CANDIDATE'S ROLE
Part 1
The examiner will ask you some questions about yourself and your interests, studies
or working life. You should:
reply by offering a full and appropriate response in each case, taking the initiative
where possible.
always offer more than yes or no as an answer as your examiner can only rate
what he or she hears, and you need to make the very best of this chance to show
off your skills.
use Part 1 to overcome any nerves and demonstrate your basic fluency.
Part 2
The examiner will give you a topic, which is also written on a card, and will hand you
some paper and a pencil to make notes. You have a minute to think about what you
are going to say. You should:
think about the topic for a moment and decide how you are going to tackle it.
use the preparation time wisely by jotting down some key ideas (but do not try to
write out a speech).
make the talk interesting and lively.
Part 3
The examiner will invite you to discuss a number of issues, broadly related in theme
to the Part 2 topic. You should:
try to give informed, interesting and appropriate responses, but remember there
is no right or wrong answer.
use this part of the test to demonstrate your control of language, your ability to
express abstract ideas and to support your opinions appropriately.
show a willingness to provide extended replies.
Speaking
UNIT 1 Part one of the Speaking test
In Part 1 of the interview the examiner will introduce him or herself to you and ask you your name.
You must show some photo identification.
The examiner will then ask you some questions focusing on areas such as your interests, studies or
working life. You need to offer interesting responses and to show that you can develop your
answers. However, you are not expected to provide a point of view or argue a case.
BECOMING MORE FLUENT
Fluency in speech is the ability to maintain a flow of language without unnatural
hesitation and without demanding unreasonable patience of the listener. In
other words it is the ability to 'keep going' and includes a number of micro
strategies such as willingness to participate and preparedness to respond fully
to questions asked by the examiner. Becoming more fluent takes practice, so try
using English as often as possible with your friends as well as with English
speakers.
Look at the table below. Take a minute to complete the table by filling in the spaces
in each column. You need only enter two or three words in each column.
Go round the classroom and speak to as many of your classmates as you can.
Ask questions based on the table. When you form the questions, you should use
the simple present tense.
Report back to the group telling them what you learned about the people you
interviewed. Try to make the information flow naturally. For example:
I spoke to Kumiko. She lives in Kyoto and has one brother. Her favourite food is sashimi but she
quite likes Australian meat pies. She speaks Japanese fluently of course, and English quite well.
Speaking UNIT 1
WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE AND EXPAND
Think of some of the little things that
you did over the last weekend.
Write them down in note form but
do not show them to your partner.
Try to write at least five activities
using the simple past tense.
For example:
None of the activities in the list is very unusual. However, all of them lend
themselves to E X PA N S I 0 N.
For each activity you write down, think of a couple of ways in which you could
expand the information to make it more interesting to a listener in a
conversation. In other words, what additional details can you give? Below is an
example of how you could expand on a topic.
I hired a video on Saturday with some friends. It was called
It was good/bad/OK. because
. It's a film about.
Look at the list of question words in the box below. Check in the supplementary
materials on page 125 if you are uncertain of the grammatical rule for asking
WH- questions.
Now ask your partner what he or she did at the weekend. As soon as they give you
an answer, ask another question using one of the question words above to find out
more information. Each time your partner replies, ask another question until you
have asked six questions.
Change roles. Practise your expansion strategy until providing more information
to your listener becomes almost automatic!
Speaking UNIT 1
MORE PRACTICE FOR PART ONE
In Part 1 of the IELTS test you will have to respond by giving full and rounded
answers. This means you need to know how to link your ideas.
Look at the ideas in the picture below.
Read how the girl links them together to form one cohesive idea. Then say them
out loud so that they flow smoothly and sound natural.
Do the same with the other sets of ideas in the table below. You can use the words
supplied in the column on the right or use your own linking words, but limit
yourself to two sentences for each set of ideas.
Now think of a question to which your idea is an appropriate answer.
Speaking UNIT 1
In the interview you may be asked to answer questions on some of the topics
below. Choose one of them and be prepared to say something about a number of
sub-topics related to the topic you have chosen.
your family
your hobbies
your education
your home town
festivals and national holidays
Write down your topic and sub-topics on a piece of paper and give it to your
partner.
Using the notes as a prompt, ask each other a general question about the main
topic, e.g.
Then ask specific questions to draw out the information in the notes about the
sub-topics. Try to ask questions with WH- words.
Speaking
In Part 2 of the test you will be asked to give
a short talk for one to two minutes on a topic
chosen by the examiner. You will have a
minute to think about what you are going to
say, and to make some notes. Then you will
have up to two minutes to speak.
The examiner will remain silent while you are
speaking, but may stop you when the time is
up by asking you a related follow-up question.
Part 2 offers an opportunity to show the
examiner your ability to keep going without
unnatural hesitation and to demonstrate your
speaking skills including pronunciation.
PREPARING YOUR TALK
Below is an example of a topic for Part 2. Look at the topic and the three mini
questions which accompany it. The Part 2 topic will always follow this format with
one main topic and three sub-topics, and will usually focus on a familiar or
personal area.
Describe a place you have lived in that you particularly liked.
You should say:
when you lived there
who you lived with
what was most memorable about this place
First, read the instruction carefully and decide how you are going to approach the
topic. In this case you are asked to describe a place where you have lived. If you
have only ever lived in one place, then you should describe that place. If you have
lived in a number of different places, then you will need to make a quick decision.
Think about the topic for a moment.
Underline any key words that strike you as important, e.g. describe, particularly
liked.
Speaking UNIT 2
Decide which place you are going to describe.
Jot down some key ideas drawing on your own experience. Here is an example.
Below is a list of possible ways to introduce this topic.
Practise using them all so that you have a number of different 'openings' for your
talk.
EXPLAINING HOW YOU FEEL - NOW AND THEN
In the Long Turn you may need to be able to describe how you feel about
something now or felt about something in the past. Here are some ways of
expressing how you feel. Don't be afraid to express your feelings in this way - it
will sound very natural and it also gives emphasis to the reason, while allowing
the listeners time to digest your response.
The expressions below are all in the present tense. Turn them into past tense
expressions so that you can also use them to describe a feeling in the past. The first
two have been done as an example.
Speaking UNIT 2
Look at the Part 2 task below
Read it carefully to make sure you fully understand the topic and the sub-topics.
Describe a job that you would like to do in the future.
You should say:
why you are attracted to this job
how much training, if any, would be necessary
what kind of personal qualities it would require
Think about the topic for a moment.
Underline any key words that strike you as important
Decide on a future job or career that you can talk about
Jot down at least two key ideas for each of the sub-topics
Speaking UNIT 2
GIVING SHORT ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
After you have given your talk, the examiner may ask you one or two related
follow-up questions which you should answer briefly. The follow-up question
will probably only require a yes or no answer and a couple of other words.
We often give short answers in English by simply repeating the auxiliary verb or
the verb to be or to do which was used in the question. You must use the same
tense as the question. Here is an example of a follow-up question to the task
above with appropriate short answers.
Look at the questions below.
Underline the verbs which you are going to use in your short answers.
Now give the short answers using yes and no to these questions.
1 Were there any things you didn't like about this place where you lived?
2 Is it easy to get work in this field?
3 Are you interested in this kind of work?
4 Did you read about this course in the newspaper?
5 Had you studied English before you came here?
6 Will you go to university after this course?
7 Can you speak more than one foreign language?
8 Are you going to study in America?
If you don't want to sound too direct, you can often include the words / think
after the yes or / don't think after the no, but you must still include your short
answer verb. Alternatively you can use the short answers / think so or / don't
think so. Here is an example:
Now try answering the questions above using one of the short answer forms.
Speaking
UNIT 3
In Part 3 you will be presented with some more abstract
questions. These will be broadly linked to the topic
introduced in Part 2. You will have to take part in a
discussion with the examiner.
This is your opportunity to show off your vocabulary as well
as your ability to express an opinion and justify your ideas.
Your language needs to be accurate as well as appropriate to
the situation, i.e. a formal discussion. However, don't be
afraid to say what you think. You will not be marked for your
opinion. Try to back your opinions with reasons. Your examiner
will welcome your views.
EXPLORING THE THEME
After you have given your talk, the examiner will invite you to explore the topic
further. The examiner will choose a number of themes and ask questions related
to each theme.
In the last unit we looked at ways of preparing a talk on the topic A place where
you once lived.
The questions on page 107 are all linked broadly to the topic of housing and the
way we live. They can be divided into the three sub-themes of:
Work and Housing
Architecture
Housing and the State
Read the questions on page 107 and underline the words which provide a link to
the original topic (A place where you once lived).
Decide which of the three sub-topics the questions belong to. The first one has
been done for you.
Speaking UNIT 3
Links to the sub-theme - Work and Housing
P R O D U C I N G A REASONED RESPONSE
Here is a strategy for approaching a question of this type. If possible, work through
these steps with a partner.
1 Re-phrase the question (in your head) in your own words. This will help you
to explore the issues raised in the question.
E.g. Is it the responsibility of the government to provide homes for poor people?
2 Decide whether any of the key words raise new questions. E.g. How do we
define 'poor'? what kind of things should government be responsible for?
3 Do you have any real views on this question? What are they?
4 Make sure you can give two good reasons to back your opinion.
E.g. Everyone has the right to a place to live. It is the role of a government to
provide shelter for people.
5 Begin your answer with the words I think or I don't think.
See page 123 for other suitable opening expressions and for a sample answer to
question 7.
Imagine your examiner has asked you this question. You will need to provide a
reasoned and appropriate response.
Speaking UNIT 3
Here are two examples of a possible response. Underline the words which:
- introduce an opinion
- provide evidence or backing for that opinion
Try reading them out loud to make them come alive.
MORE PRACTICE FOR PART 3
In Unit 2 you practised giving a talk about a job you would like to do. Following
on from this topic, the Part 3 discussion could centre on the theme of
employment.
Look at the questions below which are based on the theme of employment.
Try to think of some more questions that you could ask in order to explore the topic
of employment. (Refer to page 124 for help with forming questions.)
Write each of your questions on a separate piece of paper and put them all in a hat
with the three questions above.
Each person should draw one question and try to give a reasoned answer on the
spot to the rest of the class. Make sure your answer relates back to the topic.
As you listen to each other's answers, make notes and be prepared to ask at least
one question after each person has answered.
Remember! When you get to university you will regularly be expected to join in
discussions in your tutorial groups, so this is a good place to start.
For f u r t h e r practice, do the Supplementary activity on page 126.
Supplementary Activities
LISTENING UNIT 1
Go back to the pictures on page 8 and the words you wrote in the balloons. Choose
one of the situations and write a short dialogue, expanding on what you wrote
before.
Read the dialogue out loud to your classmates and see if they can name the
speakers. Make sure you include words that will highlight who the speakers are,
where they are and why they are speaking.
Try writing another dialogue for a new situation not shown here.
Act out the new dialogue to the class. The rest of the class must guess the context
and roles of the speakers from the dialogue.
LISTENING UNIT 2
• Choose a situation from the list below.
Imagine that you need to make this telephone call, but when you get through, you
find that you have to leave a short message on an answering machine.
Work out what you will say in your message. Remember to keep the message short
and include only the important details.
Don't forget to include your name and contact telephone number if you don't
know the person.
Read your message to your partner. Can they say which situation it relates to?
LISTENING UNIT 3
Think of an everyday object. Work out how to describe it without using its name or
saying what it is used for.
Practise describing the object with your partner.
The class divides into two teams, making sure that the pairs remain together.
Each person describes their object in front of the class.
To gain a point, the other team must be able to identify your object.
Supplementary Activities
LISTENING UNIT 4
Follow-up to Unit 4, Extract 2
Write a paragraph to sum up the main ideas of the talk on stamp design. If
necessary, go back and listen to the talk again, making notes of the main ideas. Do
not include any examples or supporting detail in your summary.
Read some of the summaries out to the class. Did you agree on what the main ideas
of the talk were?
LISTENING UNIT 5
Follow-up to Unit 5, Extract 2
Look at the following expressions which occurred in the conversation. Try to work
out their meaning with your partner. How many of them can be interpreted literally?
- I beg your pardon! - pushing back the frontiers of science
- Oh, Frank, you know what I mean! - to get away from it all
- from the cradle to the grave - to have a roof over their heads
- the party's over
Can you remember which speaker used which expression? If not, listen again.
Make sure you know exactly what each expression means in the context of this
conversation.
LISTENING UNIT 6
Look at the recording script for Unit 6, Extract 2. Write five new questions based on
the script. The answers should be no more than three words. Give the questions to
your partner.
Now close the book and listen to the extract once more without looking at the
script. Try to answer your partner's questions.
LISTENING UNIT 7
Listen to the lecture on child language acquisition again (Unit 7, Extract 2).
Make a note of all the 'signpost words' that you hear. Compare your list with your
partner.
Look at the recording script. The signpost words have been written in bold. Do you
agree with them all? Did you find any others?
Now write a summary of the lecture in 150 words.
Supplementary Activities
READING UNIT 1
Exercise A
Look at the titles, sub-headings and opening paragraphs of some of the articles in
a newspaper or magazine.
Pick some that you think are helpful to the reader and some that are not.
Cut out the complete articles and take them into class.
Discuss the articles as a group, by referring to the orientation questions in this unit.
Can you improve on any of the titles/sub-headings?
Exercise В
Pick an article from a journal or magazine that you think has a good introduction.
Cut off the title, sub-heading and first paragraph.
Exchange these with a partner.
Discuss what you would expect to read about in your partner's article.
Read the whole of your partner's article when you have finished your discussions.
Find an article in a newspaper or magazine that contains a lot of factual
information.
Write five questions on the article.
Check with your teacher that you have chosen the right sort of information to test
and make sure that the questions can be answered using three words or less.
Exchange your passage and questions with someone else.
IELTS Reading
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, complete the following
sentences using words from the reading passage 'Salty rice plant boosts
harvests' on page 40.
Write your answers in boxes 14-18 on у our answer sheet,
Some farms have been ...(14)... because the soil is too salty.
The research team hope to assist in the adaptation of other ...(15)... to salt water.
Supplementary Activities
...(16)... of farmland is ruined annually.
The team aims to develop rice plants that ...(17)... excess salt.
The team must wait for ...(18)... before they know whether they have been successful.
READING UNIT 4
Exercise A
Select an interesting article from a magazine or newspaper that has five or six
paragraphs with clear ideas/topics/themes in each paragraph.
Write some headings for these.
Jumble up your headings.
Exchange articles with another pair of students. See if you can match the headings
to the paragraphs.
Discuss how difficult or easy it was. Would you have written the same headings?
Exercise В
Select an interesting article from a magazine or newspaper that has five or six
paragraphs with clear ideas/topics/themes in each paragraph.
Cut up the article into separate paragraphs and jumble the pieces of paper up.
Exchange these with another pair of students and see if you can put their article
together again. How easy or difficult was it? Why do you think this was?
READING UNITS
IELTS Reading
The Reading Passage 'Prehistoric Insects Spawn New Drugs' on pages 46-7 has six
paragraphs labelled A-F. Which paragraphs contain the following information?
Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.
NB You only need ONE letter for each answer.
You may use any letter more than once.
9 two examples of bacteria that can now resist antibiotic drugs
10 the length of time we have been using antibiotics
11 the original source of the new drugs being discussed
12 the scientist responsible for setting up the research into fossilised insects
13 examples of other similar studies that have been undertaken
Supplementary Activities
READING UNIT 6
Read the following excerpts from articles. Discuss what is being said in each one
and then write a short, one-sentence summary of the views or arguments being
put forward.
16 Copyright is a treasure for the pedant. It is also
doomed, according to some who should know. It is,
of course, computers which pose a serious threat to
the very notion of copyright. The problem is bad
enough for authors of computer programs, which
can be copied in a few minutes. How many
computer users reading this can honestly say that
every program they use is fully paid for? It's about to
get very much worse, and seriously to affect those
of us who produce human-readable prose.
17 Scientists have scant idea of why we sleep, and
find dreaming an even bigger mystery. Theories
range from the brain clearing its memory of junk
to the liberation of suppressed subconscious
urges. The reason for their Ignorance lies in the
astonishing design of the brain. The most
complex known object in the universe, it contains
as many nerve cells - neurons - as there are
stars in the Milky Way; about 100 billion of them.
Each communicates with thousands of its
neighbours, generating an unimaginable chatter.
18 Sustain ability in the use of soils does not mean avoiding all changes, or
trying to restore damaged soils to some pristine state. But it implies that
human activities ought not to deplete resources of soil at a faster rate
than these can be replenished by natural processes or human
intervention. We must be careful not to cause lasting damage to the
natural resilience of soils, about which we have little understanding.
READING UNIT 7
IELTS Reading
Complete the summary of the Reading Passage 'Books, Films and Plays' on pages 53-4.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE words from the passage for each Question 14-20.
BOOKS, FILMS and PLAYS
Example Answer
The novel is arguably the most versatile artistic ... (O)... medium
But the artistic freedom this brings with it can cause ... (14) ... Unlike other writers,
... (15) ... can expect his or her work to be accepted with few, if any, alterations
because the work represents one ... (16) ... only. Films and screenplays on the other
hand, may have to undergo ... (17)... to suit everyone involved. In fact, screenplay
writers can find that they eventually lose ... (18)... their work. Writers of plays are
a little more fortunate in that they are given the ... (19)... to decide who directs and
acts in their play, but film and TV writers often pass all responsibility for the final
product to ... (20) ... .
Supplementary Activities
READING UNIT 8
Get into small groups and select one of the following topics/themes:
English language courses fobs Travel Books/films Restaurants
Cut out some advertisements from magazines or newspapers on your chosen
topic/theme.
Take them to class and discuss them in your group. Pick the six that have the most
factual information in them and paste them onto an A4 page.
See if you can write some matching questions on your set.
Exchange sets and questions with another group and see if you can successfully do
the matching exercise.
Discuss which set worked best as a class.
READING UNIT 9
IELTS Reading
The Reading passage on page 63 has advertisements for student accommodation.
Which residence offers the following?
Write the appropriate name in boxes 15-19 on your answer sheet.
NB You only need ONE name for each answer.
You may use any name more than once.
15 views of the countryside
16 immediate bookings
17 help in finding a room-mate
18 a set of ground rules
19 young management
Supplementary Activities
Exercise A
The graph below shows the percentage of teachers in a school who read the
newspaper on each day of the week. Describe some of the facts illustrated in the
graph using the structures you have learnt so far.
Exercise В
Draw a pie chart to show what percentage of your time you spend on the following
activities each week:
cleaning shopping entertainment
watchingTV studies sport
Write some sentences that describe the chart. Try to organise the information
appropriately and join your sentences with and, but, while, although or use as ...
as.
Cover up your pie charts and exchange your descriptions. Your partner must try to
draw your pie chart from your description and you must try to draw your partner's
pie chart from his or her description.
WRITING UNIT 2
Exercise A
Find some graphs or charts and bring them to class.
Discuss all the information on the axes or labels.
Select one or two and describe the trends they show.
Supplementary Activities
Exercise В
IELTS Writing
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Task 1
The graphs below show amounts of fish caught in the three largest oceans and
who the main consumers are.
Describe the information shown in the graphs.
You should write at least 150 words.
Supplementary Activities
IELTS Writing
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Task 1
The table and graph below give information about the amount of money in
US$ billions spent on advertising in Europe.
Describe the information shown.
You should write at least 150 words.
• Draw a diagram of a simple, everyday process (such as doing up a tie) using as few
words as possible.
• Copy your diagram onto an overhead transparency and describe the process it
shows to the class.
• Select one of the diagrams and write a description of it.
Supplementary Activities
WRITING UNITS 5 AND 6
Part 1
Think of a situation (either real or imaginary) that caused you a problem and that
you could write a letter to someone about.
Decide how you felt about the situation and what the purpose of your letter is
going to be before you write it.
Write your letter either at home or in class. Write about 150 words. Do not sign the
letter.
Part 2
Fold your letter up and put it into a pile with all the other letters that your classmates
have written. Jumble the letters up.
Pick a letter from the pile, open it up and read it.
Consider how the letter has been written and what sort of reply it merits. Write an
appropriate reply in 20 minutes.
Find out who wrote the original letter and show them your reply.
Part 3
Your teacher may select some of the best letters and ask for them to be read out in
class or written on an OHT. Discuss how successful the writers were in achieving
their desired outcome.
WRITING UNIT 7
Part 1
Cut out some letters' pages from newspapers or magazines.
In pairs, select a topic that is interesting and that people can debate.
Write a statement 'for' or 'against' the topic on a small piece of paper.
Fold up the piece of paper and put it in a hat or box.
Part 2
Take a piece of folded paper out of the hat or box.
Read the sentence and discuss as a class the sort of areas that could be covered in
a written discussion of the topic.
Suggest how you might develop ideas on the topic.
Supplementary Activities
WRITING UNIT 8
WRITING UNIT 9
• Complete the paragraph below by using an appropriate word or structure for
One of the main arguments (3) school uniforms is that they
make all schoolchildren within the same school look the same.
(4] they cover up any obvious socio-economic differences
and thus prevent children from feeling embarrassed about the clothes they wear.
(5) this is a very important consideration. Children should
be free to concentrate on their studies rather than worrying about their
appearance. (6) it is not ideal to take away people's freedom
of choice by imposing a uniform but I (7) that children have
any feelings about such things. Neither do I (8) uniforms
pose a financial burden on families. (9) they would have to
spend some money on whatever their children wear to school and uniforms, in
particular, are usually relatively cheap to buy.
Compare your answers and discuss them.
Supplementary Activities
WRITING UNIT 10
Academic Module
IELTS Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist
knowledge of the following topic:
As more and more students enter universities, academic qualifications are
becoming devalued. To get ahead in many professions, more than one degree
is now required and in future it is likely that people will take a number of
degree courses before even starting work. This is an undesirable situation.
Do you agree or disagree?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your
arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
General Training module
IELTS Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
As part of a class assignment you have to write about the following topic:
Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who
are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer
You should write at least 250 words.
A model answer, one of many possible approaches, is given on page 186.
Supplementary Activities
WRITING UNIT 11
Use the following words to help you to link your ideas together.
Link the ideas below into a coherent paragraph.
Supplementary Activities
Take a minute to complete a diagrammatic picture of your family, showing your
relatives. We call this a family tree. You don't have to include everyone in your
family, but be prepared to describe the people you include, saying where they live
and what they are like. Then hand your family tree to your partner.
Look at your partner's family tree and ask each other for information about some
of the people included. Try to give two pieces of information about each person.
Use language like this:
A: I see you have two brothers. Can you tell me something about them?
B: One of them/The older one is living in America and the other is still at home. or
My older brother is studying at university. The younger one is still at school.
Here is another example of a Part 2 task.
Describe your ideal study room.
You should say:
where it would be
what equipment and furniture it would contain
how it would be decorated
Possible follow-up questions are:
Supplementary Activities
TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYMENT - FURTHER PRACTICE FOR PART 2
Look at the list of professions below. What kind of person would be
suited to do each of these jobs? Are the qualities required necessarily
positive?
Choose one of the jobs listed above.
Prepare a one-minute talk to give to the class on what kind of person
you feel would be suited to that job and why.
Make notes for your talk, but do not write it out word for word and do
not read your talk. You may like to use the board to help i l l u s t r a t e the
ideas using the main points as prompts to guide you. It may help to
divide the ideas into educational requirements and personal
qualities. Here are some expressions to help you make your points.
... a pilot needs to be able to think quickly.
... nursing is a profession for dedicated people.
... one requirement for being a politician is
having a very thick skin.
... good computer programmers are usually
good mathematicians.
... a lawyer needs to be a fast reader.
I think . . .
I believe ...
As far as I can see ...
I would say that...
I would think that..
As you listen to each other's talks, make notes and be prepared to ask
at least one question after each person has completed his or her talk.
For further practice, try recording your talk, if this is practical for you.
Listen to your own talk again and make a note of any grammar
problems you had or pronunciation difficulties.
FURTHER PRACTICE FOR PART 3
Here is an example of a possible response. Underline the words
which:
introduce an opinion
provide evidence or backing for that opinion.
Supplementary Activities
Guidelines for forming questions in English
Supplementary Activities
5 Making questions with question tags
Although this is a very common way of asking questions in English, we usually only
use question tags to confirm something we already know, or, in some cases, to
suggest surprise or irritation. In Phase 3 of the test, you are advised not to form
questions in this manner, though your examiner may check your details in this way,
e.g. Your name is Budi, isn't it? You're from Indonesia, aren't you?
6 Using intonation to form questions
Although you may hear people asking questions simply by raising their voice at the
end of the sentence, this is not always regarded as adequate or appropriate. Rising
intonation is common when asking questions but often indicates that you are
asking for clarification rather than new information. You should try to use one of
the above question forms in the IELTS test to demonstrate your ability to ask
questions accurately.
Supplementary Activities
SPEAKING UNIT 3
Extending a conversation
Look at the bubble diagram below on what is important in a job.
Take a moment to think about each of the issues shown here.
Be prepared to make a useful comment about each of the issues. Make sure you
have an opinion on all the ideas.
Preparation: Make up a set of 8 cards based on the 8 ideas in the bubble diagram
below. Place a set of the cards face down on the table for each group. Each student
picks a card and must talk about the topic for 45 seconds. Replace the card on the
bottom of the pile.
Practice Test
LISTENING
SECTION 1 Questions 1-10
Questions 1-2
Circle the appropriate letter.
Example What type of accommodation does the student want?
1 How does he want to travel to the university?
2 How did he feel about living at the hall of residence?
Practice Test: Listening
Questions 3-6
Complete the table below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
Two-bedroom house Near the university
Three-bedroom, flat Near the university
Three-bedroom house (5}
Address: (6) Botany
(3)
(4)
Far from the university
Questions 7-8
Circle TWO letters.
Which TWO of the following does the agent say are included?
kitchen cupboards
garden table
double bed
dishwasher
washing machine
refrigerator
Questions 9-10
What TWO things does the student request before moving in?
new kitchen cooker
garden cleared
back door painted
carpets cleaned
windows repaired
new refrigerator
Practice Test: Listening
SECTION 2 Questions 11-20
Questions 11-14
Complete the notes as you listen. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.
Questions 15-17
Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
High rainfall in Queensland
(16) High
(17)..
(15)
for growing ginger
Australian ginger was not
price competitive
Supplies of ginger ran
low
Practice Test: Listening
Questions 18-20
BUDERIM COOPERATIVE
FACT SHEET
Cooperative was formed with (18) £
two wooden vats and (19) of raw ginger.
40% of
ginger
60% of
ginger
(20)
exported to Asia, Europe and elsewhere
Practice Test: Listening
SECTION 3 Questions 21-30
Questions 21-25
Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each
answer.
According to Dr Clarke:
21 Scientists want to know whether global warming is caused by
22 Insulation may cause the Earth to
23 There are many .... on the global climate.
24 The does not remain static.
25 We cannot understand the global climate without understanding
Questions 26-27
Complete the table. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Methods used to measure temperature Location of instruments
a) From thermometers in buoys
b) When water is drawn through
the (26) of ships
c) ATSR
(infra-red detector)
sea
(27)
Questions 28-30
Which THREE advantages of the ATSR are mentioned by Dr Clarke? Circle the three
correct letters.
List of Advantages
A lasts two and a half years
В measures very accurately
С produces large amounts of data
is located in two places
can view 500 kilometres at a time
correct to within 3 degrees centigrade
Practice Test: Listening
SECTION 4 Questions 31-40
Questions 31-40
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
JERSEY ZOO
Conservation Course and Wildlife Preservation Trust
Participants: Students from (31)
Jousseff's area of interest (32)
Jousseff liked to visit the (33)
Selection criteria: Must work with (34)
They have to learn (35)
and (36)
Intensive training programme
Theory: conservation biology
Practice: work with (37) -..,. , -
to team animal care
Graduates
Number to date: (38) including a former
(39) who is in charge of
captive breeding and conservation in his country and a
Mauritian student who is (40)
for her country
Practice Test: Academic Reading
READING (Academic Module)
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Readme
Passage ] below.
Creating Artificial Reefs
In the coastal waters of the
US, a nation's leftovers have
been discarded. Derelict
ships, concrete blocks,
scrapped cars, army tanks,
tyres filled with concrete and
redundant planes litter the
sea floor. However, this is not
waste disposal, but part of a
coordinated, state-run
programme. To recently
arrived fish, plants and other
sea organisms, these
artificial reefs are an ideal
home, offering food and
shelter.
Sea-dumping incites
widespread condemnation.
Little surprise when oceans
are seen as 'convenient'
dumping grounds for the
rubbish we have created but
would rather forget. However,
scientific evidence suggests
that if we dump the right
things, sea life can actually
be enhanced. And more
recently, purpose-built
structures of steel or
concrete have been
employed - some the size
of small apartment blocks -
principally to increase fish
harvests.
The choice of design and
materials for an artificial reef
depends on where it is going
to be placed. In areas of
strong currents, for example,
a solid concrete structure will
be more appropriate than
ballasted tyres. It also
depends on what species are
to be attracted. It is pointless
creating high-rise structures
for fish that prefer flat or lowrelief
habitat. But the most
important consideration is
the purpose of the reef.
In the US, where there is
a national reef plan using
cleaned up rigs and tanks,
artificial reefs have mainly
been used to attract fish for
recreational fishing or sportdiving.
But there are many
other ways in which they can
be used to manage the
marine habitat. For as well
as protecting existing habitat,
providing purpose-built
accommodation for
commercial species (such as
lobsters and octupi) and
acting as sea defences, they
can be an effective way of
improving fish harvests.
Japan, for example, has
created vast areas of artificial
habitat - rather than isolated
reefs - to increase its fish
stocks. In fact, the cultural
and historical importance of
seafood in Japan is reflected
by the fact that it is a world
leader in reef technology;
what's more, those who
construct and deploy reefs
have sole rights to the
harvest.
In Europe, artificial reefs
have been mainly employed
to protect habitat. Particularly
so in the Mediterranean
where reefs have been sunk
as physical obstacles to stop
illegal trawling, which is
destroying sea grass beds
and the marine life that
depends on them. If you
want to protect areas of the
seabed, you need something
that will stop trawlers dead in
their tracks,' says Dr Antony
Jensen of the Southampton
Oceanography Centre.
Italy boasts considerable
artificial reef activity. It
deployed its first scientifically
planned reef using concrete
cubes assembled in pyramid
forms in 1974 to enhance
fisheries and stop trawling.
And Spain has built nearly
50 reefs in its waters, mainly
to discourage trawling and
enhance the productivity of
fisheries. Meanwhile, Britain
established its first quarried
rock artificial reef in 1984 off
the Scottish coast, to assess
its potential for attracting
Practice Test: Academic Reading
commercial species.
But while the scientific
study of these structures is a
little over a quarter of a
century old, artificial reefs
made out of readily available
materials such as bamboo
and coconuts have been
used by fishermen for
centuries. And the benefits
have been enormous. By
placing reefs close to home,
fishermen can save time and
fuel. But unless they are
carefully managed, these
areas can become overfished.
In the Philippines, for
example, where artificial reef
programmes have been
instigated in response to
declining fish populations,
catches are often allowed to
exceed the maximum
potential new production of
the artificial reef because
there is no proper
management control.
There is no doubt that
artificial reefs have lots to
offer. And while purpose-built
structures are effective, the
real challenge now is to
develop environmentally safe
ways of using recycled waste
to increase marine diversity.
This will require more
scientific research. For
example, the leachates from
one of the most commonly
used reef materials, tyres,
could potentially be harmful
to the creatures and plants
that they are supposed to
attract. Yet few extensive
studies have been
undertaken into the longterm
effects of disposing of
tyres at sea. And at the
moment, there is little
consensus about what is
environmentally acceptable
to dump at sea, especially
when it comes to oil and gas
rigs. Clearly, the challenge is
to develop environmentally
acceptable ways of disposing
of our rubbish while
enhancing marine life too.
What we must never be
allowed to do is have an
excuse for dumping anything
we like at sea.
Questions 1-3
The list below gives some of the factors that must be taken into account when
deciding how to construct an artificial reef. Which THREE of these factors are
mentioned by the writer of the article? Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 1-3
on your answer sheet.
A The fishing activity in the area
В The intended location of the reef
С The existing reef structures
D The type of marine life being targeted
E The function of the reef
F The cultural importance of the area
Practice Test: Academic Reading
Questions 4-8
Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.
Questions 9-12
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, complete the following sentences. Write
your answers in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet.
In ... (9)..., people who build reefs are legally entitled to all the fish
they attract.
Trawling inhibits the development of marine life because it damages
the ... (10)... .
In the past, both ... (11)... were used to make reefs.
To ensure that reefs are not over-fished, good ... (12)... is required.
Question 13
Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 13 on your answer sheet.
13 According to the writer, the next step in the creation of artificial reefs is
A to produce an international agreement.
В to expand their use in the marine environment.
С to examine their dangers to marine life.
D to improve on purpose-built structures.
Practice Test: Academic Reading
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-27 which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on the following pages.
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs (A-H). Choose the most suitable heading for
each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-xi)
in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
You may use any heading more than once.
List of Headings
i Gathering the information
ii Cigarettes produced to match an image
iii Financial outlay on marketing
iv The first advertising methods
v Pressure causes a drop in sales
vi Changing attitudes allow new marketing tactics
vii Background to the research
viii A public uproar is avoided
ix The innovative move to written adverts
x A century of uninhibited smoking
xi Conclusions of the research
14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph В
16 Paragraph С
Example
Paragraph D
17 Paragraph E
18 Paragraph F
19 Paragraph G
Example
Paragraph H
Answer
iv
Answer
xi
Practice Test: Academic Reading
Looking for a Market
among Adolescents
A In 1992, the most recent year for which data are available, the US
tobacco industry spent $5 billion on domestic marketing. That figure
represents a huge increase from the approximate £250-million budget in
1971, when tobacco advertising was banned from television and radio. The
current expenditure translates to about $75 for every adult smoker, or to
$4,500 for every adolescent who became a smoker that year. This apparently
high cost to attract a new smoker is very likely recouped over the average 25
years that this teen will smoke.
В In the first half of this century, leaders of the tobacco companies boasted
that innovative mass-marketing strategies built the industry. Recently,
however, the tobacco business has maintained that its advertising is geared to
draw established smokers to particular brands. But public health advocates
insist that such advertising plays a role in generating new demand, with
adolescents being the primary target. To explore the issue, we examined
several marketing campaigns undertaken over the years and correlated them
with the ages smokers say they began their habit. We find that, historically,
there is considerable evidence that such campaigns led to an increase in
cigarette smoking among adolescents of the targeted group.
С National surveys collected the ages at which people started smoking.
The 1955 Current Population Survey (CPS) was the first to query
respondents for this information, although only summary data survive.
Beginning in 1970, however, the National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS)
included this question in some polls. Answers from all the surveys were
combined to produce a sample of more than 165,000 individuals. Using a
respondent's age at the time of the survey and the reported age of initiation,
[age they started smoking], the year the person began smoking could be
determined. Dividing the number of adolescents (defined as those 12 to 17
years old) who started smoking during a particular interval by the number
who were "eligible" to begin at the start of the interval set the initiation rate
for that group.
D Mass-marketing campaigns began as early as the 1880s, which boosted
tobacco consumption sixfold by 1900. Much of the rise was attributed to a
greater number of people smoking cigarettes, as opposed to using cigars,
pipes, snuff or chewing tobacco. Marketing strategies included painted
billboards and an extensive distribution of coupons, which a recipient could
From "Looking for a market among adolescents" by John P. Pierce and Elizabeth A. Gilpin
Copyright © May 1995 by Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
Practice Test: Academic Reading
redeem for free cigarettes .... Some brands included soft-porn pictures of
women in the packages. Such tactics inspired outcry from educational
leaders concerned about their corrupting influence on teenage boys.
Thirteen percent of the males surveyed in 1955 who reached adolescence
between i 890 and 1910 commenced smoking by 18 years of age,
compared with almost no females.
E The power of targeted advertising is more apparent if one considers
the men born between 1890 and 1899. In 1912, when many of these men
were teenagers, the R.J. Reynolds company launched the Camel brand of
cigarettes with a revolutionary approach. ... Every city in the country was
bombarded with print advertising. According to the 1955 CPS, initiation
by age 18 for males in this group jumped to 21.6 percent, a two thirds
increase over those bom before 1890. The NHIS initiation rate also
reflected this change. For adolescent males it went up from 2.9 percent
between 1910 and 1912 to 4.9 percent between 1918 and 1921.
F It was not until the mid-1920s that social mores permitted cigarette
advertising to focus on women. ... In 1926 a poster depicted women
imploring smokers of Chesterfield cigarettes to "Blow Some My Way".
The most successful crusade, however, was for Lucky Strikes, which urged
women to "Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet." The 1955 CPS data
showed that 7 percent of the women who were adolescents during the mid-
1920s had started smoking by age 18, compared with only 2 percent in the
preceding generation of female adolescents. Initiation rates from the NHIS
data for adolescent girls were observed to increase threefold, from 0.6
percent between 1922 and 1925 to 1.8 percent between 1930 and 1933. In
contrast, rates for males rose only slightly.
G The next major boost in smoking initiation in adolescent females
occurred in the late 1960s. In 1967 the tobacco industry launched "niche"
brands aimed exclusively at women. The most popular was Virginia Slims.
The visuals of this campaign emphasized a woman who was strong,
independent and very thin. ... Initiation in female adolescents nearly
doubled, from 3.7 percent between 1964 and 1967 to 6.2 percent between
1972 and 1975 (NHIS data). During the same period, rates for adolescent
males remained stable.
H Thus, in four distinct instances over the past 100 years, innovative and
directed tobacco marketing campaigns were associated with marked surges
in primary demand from adolescents only in the target group. The first two
were directed at males and the second two at females. Of course, other
factors helped to entrench smoking in society. ... Yet it is clear from the data
that advertising has been an overwhelming force in attracting new users.
Practice Test: Academic Reading
Questions 20-24
Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 20-24 write:
YES if the statement is true according to the passage
NO if the statement contradicts the passage
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage
20 Cigarette marketing has declined in the US since tobacco advertising was
banned on TV.
21 Tobacco companies claim that their advertising targets existing smokers.
22 The difference in initiation rates between male and female smokers at the turn
of the 19Lh century was due to selective marketing.
23 Women who took up smoking in the past lost weight.
24 The two surveys show different trends in cigarette initiation.
Questions 25-27
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the Reading Passage. Use NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 25-27 on
your answer sheet.
Tobacco companies are currently being accused of aiming their advertisements
mainly at... (25).,,
Statistics on smoking habits for men born between 1890 and 1899 were gathered in
the year ... (26)...
The ... (27)... brand of cigarettes was designed for a particular sex.
Practice Test: Academic Reading
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40 which are based on Reading
Passage 3 below.
The Pursuit of Happiness
New research uncovers some
anti-intuitive insights into how
many people are happy - and why.
Compared with misery, happiness is
relatively unexplored terrain for social
scientists, Between 1967 and 1994, 46,380
articles indexed in Psychological Abstracts
mentioned depression, 36,851 anxiety, and
5,099 anger. Only 2,389 spoke of
happiness, 2,340 life satisfaction, and 405
joy.
Recently we and other researchers have
begun a systematic study of happiness.
During the past two decades, dozens of
investigators throughout the world have
asked several hundred thousand
representatively sampled people to reflect
on their happiness and satisfaction with life
- or what psychologists call "subjective
well-being". In the US the National Opinion
Research Center at the University of
Chicago has surveyed a representative
sample of roughly 1,500 people a year
since 1957; the Institute for Social
Research at the University of Michigan has
carried out similar studies on a less regular
basis, as has the Gallup Organization.
Government-funded efforts have also
probed the moods of European countries,
We have uncovered some surprising
findings. People are happier than one might
expect, and happiness does not appear to
depend significantly on external
circumstances. Although viewing life as a
tragedy has a long and honorable history,
the responses of random samples of
people around the world about their
happiness paints a much rosier picture. In
the University of Chicago surveys, three in
10 Americans say they are very happy, for
example. Only one in 10 chooses the most
negative description "not too happy". The
majority describe themselves as "pretty
happy", ...
How can social scientists measure
something as hard to pin down as
happiness? Most researchers simply ask
people to report their feelings of happiness
or unhappiness and to assess how
satisfying their lives are. Such self-reported
well-being is moderately consistent over
years of retesting. Furthermore, those who
say they are happy and satisfied seem
happy to their close friends and family
members and to a psychologist-interviewer.
Their daily mood ratings reveal more
positive emotions, and they smile more
than those who call themselves unhappy.
Self-reported happiness also predicts other
indicators of well-being. Compared with the
depressed, happy people are less selffocused,
less hostile and abusive, and less
susceptible to disease.
We have found that the even distribution
of happiness cuts across almost all
demographic classifications of age,
economic class, race and educational level.
In addition, almost all strategies for
assessing subjective well-being - including
those that sample people's experience by
polling them at random times with beepers
- turn up similar findings.
Interviews with representative samples of
people of all ages, for example, reveal that
no time of life is notably happier or
unhappier. Similarly, men and women are
equally likely to declare themselves "very
From "The Pursuit of Happiness" by David G, Myers and Ed Diener.
Copyright © May 1996 by Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
Practice Test: Academic Reading
happy" and "satisfied" with life, according to
a statistical digest of 146 studies by Marilyn
J, Haring, William Stock and Morris A,
Okun, all then at Arizona State University.
, , , Wealth is also a poor predictor of
happiness. People have not become
happier over time as their cultures have
become more affluent. Even though
Americans earn twice as much in today's
dollars as they did in 1957, the proportion
of those telling surveyors from the National
Opinion Research Center that they are "very
happy" has declined from 35 to 29 percent.
Even very rich people - those surveyed
among Forbes magazine's 100 wealthiest
Americans - are only slightly happier than
the average American. Those whose
income has increased over a 10-year
period are not happier than those whose
income is stagnant. Indeed, in most nations
the correlation between income and
happiness is negligible - only in the poorest
countries, such as Bangladesh and India, is
income a good measure of emotional wellbeing,
Are people in rich countries happier, by
and large, than people in not so rich
countries? It appears in general that they
are, but the margin may be slim. In Portugal,
for example, only one in 10 people reports
being very happy, whereas in the much
more prosperous Netherlands the
proportion of very happy is four in 10. Yet
there are curious reversals in this correlation
between national wealth and well-being -
the Irish during the 1980s consistently
reported greater life satisfaction than the
wealthier West Germans. Furthermore,
other factors, such as civil rights, literacy
and duration of democratic government, all
of which also promote reported life
satisfaction, tend to go hand in hand with
national wealth, As a result, it is impossible
to tell whether the happiness of people in
wealthier nations is based on money or is a
by-product of other felicities.
Although happiness is not easy to predict
from material circumstances, it seems
consistent for those who have it, In one
National Institute on Aging study of 5,000
adults, the happiest people in 1973 were
still relatively happy a decade later, despite
changes in work, residence and family
status,
Practice Test: Academic Reading
Questions 28-30
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 23-30 on your answer sheet.
28 What point are the writers making in the opening paragraph?
A Happiness levels have risen since 1967.
В Journals take a biased view on happiness.
С Happiness is not a well-documented research area,
D People tend to think about themselves negatively.
29 What do the writers say about their research findings?
A They had predicted the results correctly.
В They felt people had responded dishonestly.
С They conflict with those of other researchers.
D Happiness levels are higher than they had believed.
30 In the fourth paragraph, what does the reader learn about the research method
used?
A It is new.
В It appears to be reliable.
С It is better than using beepers.
D It reveals additional information.
Questions 31-34
According to the passage, which of the findings below (31-34) is quoted by which
Investigative Body (A-G)? Write your answers in boxes 31-34 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more Investigative Bodies than findings, so you do not have to use all
of them.
31 Happiness is not gender related.
32 Over fifty per cent of people consider themselves to be 'happy'.
33 Happiness levels are marginally higher for those in the top income brackets.
34 'Happy' people remain happy throughout their lives.
Investigative Bodies
A The National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago
8 Arizona State University
С The Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
D Forbes Magazine
E The National Institute on Aging
F The Gallup Organization
G The Government
Practice Test: Academic Reading
Questions 35-40
Complete the summary of Reading Passage 3 below. Choose your answers from the
box at the bottom of the page and write them in boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet
NB There are more words than spaces so you will not use them all. You may use any
of the words more than once.
HOW HAPPY ARE WE?
Example
Our happiness levels are ... (0)... by relatively few factors.
Answer
For example, incomes in the States have ... (35)... over the past forty
years but happiness levels have ... (36)... over the same period. In fact,
people on average incomes are only slightly... (37)... happy than
extremely rich people and a gradual increase in prosperity makes
... (38)... difference to how happy we are. In terms of national wealth,
populations of wealthy nations are ... (39)... happier than those who live
in poorer countries. Although in some cases this trend is ... (40)... and it
appears that other factors need to be considered.
LIST OF WORDS
stopped
doubled
stabilised
no
crept up
slightly
significant
remarkably
less
slowed down
too
similar
reversed
much
more
great
some
dropped
affected
clearly
Practice Test: Academic Writing
WRITING (Academic Module)
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The charts below show the growth in the population of some of the world's
largest cities.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
Practice Test: Academic Writing
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task,
In most countries disabled people are not catered for adequately, e.g.
buildings are often inappropriately designed. Governments rely too heavily
on charities and voluntary organisations to provide assistance and funding.
What further measures could be taken to assist disabled people?
Discuss,
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your
arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
READING (General Training Module)
SECTION 1 Questions 1-14
You are advised to
spend 20 minutes
on Questions 1-14.
First, read the text
and answer
Questions 1-9.
Newtown Council
Dear Householder,
Recycling in your area
Are you doing all you can to recycle your rubbish? It only takes a minute to recycle
and help reduce domestic waste as well as the costs of waste management. Here are
some ideas to get you started.
Town Clerk
A NEVER THROW AWAY VEGETABLE MATTER: START A COMPOST BIN IN
YOUR GARDEN OR ON YOUR BALCONY. YOU'LL BE AMAZED HOW MUCH
THIS CAN REDUCE THE BULK OF YOUR RUBBISH AND IT'S GREAT FOR THE
GARDEN TOO.
DON'T THROW USED CONTAINERS IN THE RUBBISH. GET INTO THE HABIT
OF SORTING THEM INTO RECYCLING CATEGORIES: GLASS, ALUMINIUM,
PLASTIC AND PAPER,
С GLASS CONTAINERS CAN BE PLACED IN THE BOTTLE BANKS AT
SUPERMARKET CAR PARKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. LOOK FOR THE BIG
GREEN BENS. ALTERNATIVELY LEAVE YOUR BOTTLES OUT FOR
COLLECTION ON MONDAY MORNING.
ALUMINIUM CANS CAN EARN YOU CASH SO DON'T JUST THROW THEM
AWAY - SAVE THEM AND SAVE MONEY. RING YOUR COUNCIL TO FIND OUT
WHEN THEY COLLECT.
PAPER IS EASILY RECYCLED. WEEKLY COLLECTIONS ARE COMMON IN
MOST AREAS. MAKE SURE YOU PLACE RECYCLABLE PAPER IN THE BLACK
BINS PROVIDED. ASK AT THE COUNCIL OFFICES IF YOU DON'T ALREADY
HAVE A BIN. BUT REMEMBER, WAXED PAPER IS NOT ACCEPTED.
F MOST PLASTIC BOTTLES AND CONTAINERS CAN BE RECYCLED. LOOK ON
THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER FOR THE IDENTIFICATION CODE,
К
1)
E
PET HOPE VINYL
MORE RECYCLING TIPS
The Council now includes vinyl bottles in their kerbside collection scheme. Here are
some facts about vinyl.
Vinyl (or PVC) is one of the three most commonly used plastics.
About 80 per cent of the 180,000 tonnes of vinyl currently used in this country
each year goes into long-life applications such as pipe and cable. About ten per cent
is used in short-life products such as bottles and film wrap.
Clear vinyl bottles are used for liquids such as fruit juice, mineral water and
cooking oil. Coloured vinyl is used for products such as detergents and cosmetics.
The identification code for vinyl is 13
Practice Test: GT Reading
Questions 1-4
Match the pictures below to the appropriate paragraph in the letter. Write the letters
A-F in the boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
Questions 5-9
Look at the statements below. In boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
5 All paper can be recycled.
6 The council will collect paper on Mondays,
7 The recycling code is found on the side of plastic bottles.
8 Vinyl is mostly used for making bottles.
9 Non-drinkable liquids come in coloured vinyl bottles.
Practice Test: GT Reading
Join the Australian Museum Society
and start enjoying the benefits
As a Society member you can visit the Museum - considered to
be one of the finest natural history museums in the world
absolutely free. A brilliant resource for adults and children,
this museum offers you the opportunity to extend you
understanding of our environment and cultural heritage
through our superb collection of books and documents as well
as the permanent and changing displays.
The Society presents a diverse and interesting programme
of Lectures - Seminars - Films - Social Events. You 11
invited to previews of all Museum exhibitions and have the
chance to see exhibitions not usually open to the general
public.
Included in your membership is the award-winning magazine
'Nature Australia' which retails for $33 but comes to you as an
exclusive membership privilege at no additional
Be part of the growth and development of the museum
supporting its work in preserving our environment and
heritage for generations to come. The Museum takes pride in
the educational role it can play in helping young Australians
to care for the environment.
Embark on adventures! The Museum organises exciting and
informative field trips to remote places led by scientists and
specialists renowned in their fields. Previous trips have
included destinations such as the Antarctic and Easter Island.
Questions 10-14
Look at the text about the
Museum. There are five
paragraphs A-Е. From the
list of headings below choose
the most suitable heading for
each paragraph. Write the
appropriate numbers (i-vii)
in boxes 10-14 on your
answer sheet.
NB There are more headings
than paragraphs so you
will not use them all.
You may use any of the
headings more than
once.
List of Headings
i Family events
ii Free gift
iii Looking after the future
iv Travel opportunities
v World class collection of fossils
vi Private viewings
vii International reputation
10 Paragraph A
11 Paragraph В
12 Paragraph С
13 Paragraph D
14 Paragraph E
Practice Test: GT Reading
SECTION 2 Questions 15-26
You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 15-26.
Questions 15-20
Read the information below and answer Questions 15-20.
Two courses are
available - come
in and see us now!
IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS AT
THE COMPUTER CENTRE
TYPING COURSE
The university offers an annual keyboard skills course
for all new students during orientation week. The
course is designed to teach touch typing to people at
the beginner's level, though experienced typists
wishing to improve their skills may also benefit from
the program. The course is computer based and draws
on the latest findings in applied psychology to help
you learn at your own pace. The method encourages
the use of all ten fingers for maximum speed and
accuracy and focuses on the need to establish good
typing habits from the start.
The typing course is three courses in one. It teaches
the alphabetic/numeric keyboard in eight structured
lessons. Then the speed and accuracy
lessons build your speed to whatever
goals you choose. Finally the program
teaches the numeric keypad in three
simple lessons, particularly useful for
spreadsheet work and entering
statistical data. Participants each work
at their own computer and
are free to undertake the course in whatever order
they choose. A qualified teacher who is thoroughly
familiar with the program will be available at all times
to explain the method and assist with any personal
learning difficulties.
Practice Test: GT Reading
HOW TO ENROL
Typing courses are held at the Computer Centre in the
Wilson Building. Tuition is free but there is a nominal charge
for the accompanying book which you will need to purchase.
Intensive courses begin every morning during orientation
week at 9.00 am Monday to Friday. To qualify for a place,
you must show your student card when you enrol. Places
arе limited, so get in early!
ADVANCED WORD PROCESSING
SKILLS COURSE
Monday evenings from 5.00-7.00 pm
Gain an understanding of the concepts and skills of word
processing. Learn how to create and edit a document, recall
documents from disk and other important skills. Familiarity
with a PC computer keyboard and a mouse is essential, plus
an ability to touch type. To enrol please complete a form and
leave it at the Reception Desk. Classes are free but there is a
nominal charge for the use of paper and disks.
Questions 15-16
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 15-16 on your answer
sheet.
15 The typing course is aimed at
A people with no experience.
В a mixed level group.
С experienced typists.
D computing students.
16 The typing course
A takes three full days.
B consists of three lessons.
С is divided into three parts.
D requires at least three hours.
Questions 17-20
In boxes 17-20 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if no information is given about this
Example
Using a computer to learn has made typing much easier.
17 The typing course is available every year.
18 Touch typing is an essential skill for university.
19 The Advanced Word Processing course takes place once a week,
20 There are no costs involved in doing either of the courses.
Answer
NOT GIVEN
Practice Test: GT Reading
Answer
G
Questions 21-26
Look at the information about activities on the University Open Day. Which place
would you visit for the following reasons? Write the appropriate letter A~H in boxes
21-26 on your answer sheet. You may use any letter more than once.
Example
You are interested in finding out about sporting facilities.
21 You may be interested in living in on campus.
22 You want to buy something to remind you of your visit today.
23 You want to listen to some music during the day.
24 You are interested in the history of the settlement of Australia.
25 You want to attend a course to improve your reading speed.
26 You want to have a hot meal at lunch time.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OPEN DAY
In addition to the mini lectures and talks
taking place across campus on Saturday, there
are a number of other ways to find out about
university life.
Fielder Library will be open from 9.00 to 5.00. This library is one of the
largest libraries in Australia and is proud of its outstanding collection of
specialist books and learning resources. The Library's Rare Books
Collection features an exhibition on Australian Explorers of the 18th and
1 9th Centuries.
Guided tours of the Language Centre and Computer Laboratories will be
running during the day. You are welcome to try out the excellent technical
facilities of the Language Centre. Tours leave at 1 1.00, 1.00 and 3.00
from the reception area at the main entrance. Find out about Study Skills
programs and free English classes.
Practice Test: GT Reading
The university has three museums. The Nuttall Museum situated near the
Quad, with its collection of classical archaeological exhibits and ancient
pottery, the University Art Gallery and the McCaulay Museum of Natural
History are open all day.
Residential college life is fun and rewarding and the best way to make
friends in your first year at university. Tours of the colleges run throughout
the day. Ask at the Colleges Information Booth for tour times and the cost
of living in.
The University Union's Contact Information Desk and campus store in the
Hart Building wiil be open from 9.00. T-shirts, diaries, bags and
university souvenirs will be on sale. Sandwiches and drinks are also
available.
Interactive displays and exhibits by Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology,
Physics and Psychology departments will be held throughout the day in
the Chemistry building. Come in and talk to us about our courses and
your areas of interest.
The new University College Sports and Aquatic Centre includes an
Olympic pool, tennis courts, fitness centre, sports hall, squash courts and
sports bar. Tours of the Sports Centre depart from the Information Booth
in the centre of the Quad at 10.15, 1 2.15 and 2.15.
A variety of hot and cold food will be available throughout the day in the
Hart Building. The University Jazz Society will perform in the bar from
10.30 and a debate will be held in the main hall from 1.00 to 2.00.
Practice Test: GT Reading
SECTION 3 Questions 27-40
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40.
Read the following text and answer Questions 27-40.
300-year-old
secrets of
Stradivarius violins can cost £2 million. Does
their sound match their price? Julian Brown asks
what a 17th century craftsman knew that modern
instrument makers are only just discovering.
Antonio Stradivari was born in 1б44,
into a respected family of craftsmen in
Cremona, a northern Italian town that was
already tamed far afield for its violins.
Stradivari was apprenticed to the
instrument maker Nicolo Amati at around the
age of 12 and by the time he died, aged 93,
he had made around a thousand violins and
at least 300 other stringed instruments,
including cellos, lutes and guitars.
A productive life, certainly, and a
reasonably well-rewarded one: he sold most
of his output for the equivalent of around £4
each, and appeared well satisfied with the
moderate, middle-class income and lifestyle
his craft brought him and his family.
Stradivari could never have dreamt that, 250
years after his death, his violins are
auctioned and reach prices anywhere from
£200,000 to several million.
What makes a Stradivarius violin so
valuable? That's a question that continues to
intrigue musicians, scientists and the public
to this day. For decades, scientists and violin
makers have tried to establish the
Stradivarius's "secrets".
During his career, Stradivari made certain
subtle changes in the proportions of the
violin, gradually increasing the instrument's
power. While his early work followed the
traditions of his teacher Amati, by the close
of the 17th century the Stradivarius had
become flatter and broader and the bridge
began to look much as it does today.
But violin makers have long copied the
proportions of Stradivarius's instruments
without achieving the same results. So the
secret must lie elsewhere. But where? In the
deep, lustrous auburn-red varnish, according
to one theory. But there's a problem. Strads
have withstood nearly 300 years of wear and
Practice Test: GT Reading
tear. Not surprisingly, the rich varnish on
many of them has taken a battering and, in
some cases, most of it has been worn away.
Yet these instruments still sound magnificent.
In the 1980s a US researcher came up with
a new theory: the secret lay in the wood.
Stradivari used wood - maple and spruce -
that was delivered to Cremona by being
floated along the Italian canals; perhaps the
contact with water had changed its character.
The idea was initially supported by electron
microscope pictures of the violin's surface:
Strad wood was found to be riddled with
tiny, open pores, while those of modern
instruments were tightly closed.
But later research suggested that whether
the pores showed as open or closed under
examination was not dependent on the
violin at all, but rather on how the wood
sample had been cut and prepared before it
was examined under microscopy.
Electron microscopy, however, may yet
provide the answer. Recent research in
Cambridge has found a layer beneath the
Strad's famed varnish. Under the electron
microscope it appears like a seam of
marzipan sandwiched between the cake of
wood and the icing-like varnish. Claire
Barlow and Jim Woodhouse, who work in
Cambridge University's Engineering
Department, were able to obtain a few small
samples of wood taken from Strads and
other old instruments that were undergoing
restoration. They subjected the middle layer
to spectroscopic x-ray analysis to find out
what it contained. The results varied from
sample to sample, but they all contained a
range of minerals including aluminium,
silicon, phosphorous and calcium.
This turns out to be consistent with
another idea put forward in the 1980s. For
some time experts had been arguing over
whether the craftsmen of Cremona had used
some kind of wood sealant before applying
varnish to the instruments they were making.
John Chipura, an American geologist and
violin enthusiast, published a letter in the
magazine The Strad suggesting that this
sealant may well have been a layer of
Roman cement. Readily available, the cement
was made from local materials including
volcanic ash, whose mineral constituents are
very similar to those revealed by Barlow and
Woodhouse's spectroscopic analysis.
Even so, Barlow is reluctant to draw any
firm conclusions about the purpose of the
layer. "It's tempting to think that it might
have been applied as a sealant, or to provide
a smooth surface on which you could
varnish easily. But these layers are much
thicker than you'd need to do either of those
things. They were put on for some purpose
that we still don't really understand."
Barlow's collaborator, Jim Woodhouse, has
spent many years studying the acoustics of
violins and he was interested to find out
what effect the mineral layer would have on
the sound quality of the instruments.
"Virtually any treatment of the wood, such
as a preservative or varnish, will change the
vibrational properties of the violin and
therefore its sound," he explains. "We have
taken flat plates of spruce and varnished
them with various combinations of finishes,
but the differences in the vibrational
properties we found were really rather
subtle. So there may be an effect, but it's not
immediately obvious."
Undoubtedly Stradivari was a supreme
craftsman, but the secret of his genius may
not lie in one aspect of his craftsmanship but
in a combination of factors, "To make a
violin you've got to do a great many things
right and in harmony with one another." says
Woodhouse. "If there is a secret to the
Stradivarius sound, it is in achieving a perfect
balance."
Practice Test: GT Reading
Questions 27-33
Complete the summary of the reading passage below. Choose your answers from the
box at the bottom of the page and write them in boxes 27-33 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more words than spaces so you will not use them all
You may use any of the words more than once.
Example
Stradivari made his first violins in the traditional... (0)..
Answer
style
of his teacher, Nicolo Amati. Later models had different ... (27)..., becoming
flatter and broaden and people believed this accounted for their special sound.
But subsequent (28) ... of the Stradivarius failed to demonstrate this.
Another theory was that the ... (29)... had a special effect on the instrument.
However, many Stradivarius violins have lost this and yet still retain their
special musical qualities. An American researcher claimed that the method
of ... (30) ... had resulted in a change in the ...(31).,. of the wood and this
theory was supported at first/ then later rejected. The most up-to-date research
is investigating a ... (32) ... of material that has been found within the violin
Practice Test: GT Reading
Questions 34-36
The diagram below shows a cross section of a Stradivarius violin. Complete the labels
on the diagram by selecting NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading
Passage to fill each numbered space. Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your
answer sheet.
Questions 37-40
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS answer the following questions. Write your
answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
37 How much did Stradivari receive for each violin he made?
38 What natural material did John Chipura suggest was used in making the
Stradivarius violin?
39 What quality of the layers makes Claire Barlow doubt their function as a sealant?
40 According to Jim Woodhouse, what might be the key to Stradivari's genius?
Practice Test: GT Writing
WRITING (General Training Module)
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You live in a flat and you have a tenancy agreement which states that you
must give three months' notice when you wish to leave. You have paid a
deposit of two months' rent. Now a member of your family has a problem and
you need to give up your flat and return home as soon as possible.
Write a letter to your landlady. Explain your circumstances, tell her what you
intend to do and ask her for special consideration.
You should write at least 150 words.
You do not need to write your own address.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear...
Practice Test: GT Writing
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
As part of a class assignment you have to write about the following topic:
Coins and paper money will soon be replaced by credit and bank cards.
Eventually we will have a cashless society which will be safer and more
convenient for everyone.
Do you agree or disagree?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your
arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
Practice Test: Speaking
SPEAKING
Describe a children's story that you know well.
You should say:
when you first heard or read it
what you particularly liked about it
why you think it became popular
Possible follow-up questions are:
Describe a family celebration that you once attended.
You should say:
where it took place
why it was held
how you felt about it
Recording Script
Words in italics indicate the location of answers to the listening exercises.
UNIT 1, EXTRACT 1
Example
ASSISTANT Can I help you?
WOMAN
ASSISTANT
WOMAN
ASSISTANT
WAITER
WOMAN
WAITER
WOMAN
WAITER
2
POLICE OFFICER
DRIVER
POLICE OFFICER
DRIVER
POLICE OFFICER
Yes, I'm looking for a tie for
my husband. Where would I
find the men's department?
On the first floor. You can
Lake the lift, or the escalator.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Can I take your coat?
Thank you.
And would you like
something to drink before you
order your meal!
Yes, please. Can we see the
wine list?
Certainly.
Can I see your licence please,
sir?
Yes, uh ... certainly.
Did you know you were
exceeding the speed limit
when you came over the hill
just now? Our radar registered
that you were travelling at
157 km an hour.
Oh, really? I hadn't realised.
There's an on the spot fine of
$280.00 for that, I'm afraid, sir.
LECTURER Now I'd just like to recap on
what we were talking about
last week before going ahead
with this week's lecture. We
were, if I remember rightly,
looking at the main causes of
the Second World War and
I'd just like to go back to some
of the points I made. But first,
does anyone have any
questions?
STUDENT How do 1 go about joining the
Table Tennis Club?
ADMIN You need to fill in this form
and show me your student
card.
STUDENT Is there a fee?
ADMIN Yes, there's a joining fee of
$15.00 and an annual
subscription of $10.
STUDENT I'm afraid I haven't been able
to finish the history essay, and
I was hoping that you would
give me an extension.
LECTURER When do you think you could
let me have it?
STUDENT Well... I should be able to
finish it by next Monday.
LECTURER Well..., OK. As long as I can
have it by then. That'll be fine.
HUSBAND I'm afraid I got stopped by
the police for speeding today,
dear.
WIFE Oh no, David. You didn't, did
you!
HUSBAND Yes, I got a fine of $280.00 -
on the spot.
WIFE That's dreadful. We can't
afford that. You really should
drive more slowly!
STUDENT A Did you manage to finish the
history essay?
STUDENT В No. Did you?
STUDENT A No, I couldn't find the books
in the library.
STUDENT В No, neither could I. But
fortunately the lecturer has
given me an extension. You
should go and see her. She's
very helpful.
Recording Script
8
FLIGHT Would you like something to
ATTENDANT drink with your meal? Drinks
are complementary on this
flight.
PASSENGER I'll just have a soft drink
thanks. Can I have a Coke?
FLIGHT Oh, I'm sorry. I'll have to go
ATTENDANT and get you one when I've
finished serving this row.
PASSENGER Oh, OK.
9
DOCTOR Morning, Mr White. Come in.
And what can I do for you
today?
PATIENT Well doctor, I'm having
difficulty sleeping. I often
wake up at 3.00
in the morning and 1 just
can't get back to sleep.
DOCTOR I see ... and how long has this
been going on?
PATIENT Oh, about a month now. I
wonder if you could prescribe
something.
10
PRINCIPAL Good morn ing, everybody.
Now, first of all I'd like to start
by welcoming you all to the
college. We're delighted to
have you here and we hope
you are going to enjoy your
stay with us. My name is
Mary Smithers and I'm the
college principal.
UNIT 2, EXTRACT 1
A Oh hi, everybody It's Julia here. It's
Thursday afternoon. I'm just ringing to
confirm dinner on Friday night. I'll be
there about 7.30. Can't wait to see you all!
В Johnson's Repairs here. Your video recorder
is now ready for collection. There is a
charge of £50.00 to be paid when you come
and pick it up.
С Message for Mary Brooks. This is the
University Bookshop here. The book you
ordered on Asian Economies is not
available. I'm afraid it's out of print Sorry
about that. Let me know what you want us
to do.
D Hi. This is Nick. I've left my football boots
at home today and I desperately need
them for the match this afternoon. If
someone gets this message, could you
please bring them into the college before
12 o'clock. The new boots, not the old
boots. Thanks a lot, see you ...
E Dr Boyd's surgery here. I'm afraid we'll have
to cancel Ms Taylor's appointment
tomorrow, as unfortunately Dr Boyd has the
flu. Could she come on Monday at 3.30pm
instead and ring back to confirm she can
make that time?
F Oh, hello - message for Mr Lee. Newport
supermarkets here. I believe you lost a pair
of glasses yesterday. We've found a pair at
the checkout. We're keeping them at the
customer service desk. Would you like to
come in and see if they're yours?
G Hello - this is Sam, Message for Nick, We're
having a farewell party for Prof. Hall on
Saturday. You know he's going to China for
two years. Give us a ring on 9818 4078.
UNIT 2, EXTRACT 2
CLERK Good Morning, Blue Harbour
Cruises. How can I help you?
TOURIST Oh, uh, good morning. Um ... can
you tell me something about the
different cruises you run?
CLERK Well... we run three cruises every
day, each offering something slightly
different.
TOURIST Let me just get a pencil so I can
make a note of this. Right.
CLERK Firstly, there's the Highlight Cruise,
... then we do the Noon Cruise and
we also have our Coffee Cruise.
TOURIST Um ... could you tell me a bit about
them? When they leave, how often,
that sort of thing?
CLERK Well, the Highlight Cruise is $16 per
person, and that leaves at 9.30 every
morning and takes two hours to go
round the harbour.
Recording Script
TOURIST Right... 9.30. And do you get coffee
or refreshments?
CLERK No, but there's a kiosk on board
where you can buy drinks and
snacks. And we do provide everyone
with a free souvenir postcard.
TOURIST Right.
CLERK And then there's our Noon Cruise at
$42 per person. This is more
expensive but, of course, it takes
longer and for that price you get a
three-course lunch.
TOURIST Oh, that sounds good ... And what
about the last one?
CLERK That's the Coffee Cruise. Well, that's
$25 each. It takes two and a half
hours.
TOURIST When does that leave?
CLERK At a quarter past two daily.
TOURIST And presumably the coffee is
included?
CLERK Yes, and sandwiches are served free
of charge.
TOURIST
CLERK
TOURIST
CLERK
TOURIST
CLERK
TOURIST
CLERK
TOURIST
CLERK
I think the Coffee Cruise would suit
us best, as lunch is included at the
hotel. Can I book for two people for
tomorrow, please?
No need to book. Just be down at the
quay at 2 o'clock. All our cruises
depart from Jetty No. 2.
Can you tell me where that is exactly?
Yes, No. 2 Jetty is opposite the shops.
It's clearly signposted.
Right... and can you tell me, is there
a commentary?
Yes, there's a commentary on all the
cruises.
Is it possible to listen to the
commentary in Japanese? My friend
doesn't speak much English.
It's in English only, I'm afraid, but
the tour guides usually speak some
Japanese, so she'll be able to ask
questions.
Oh fine.
Oh and one other thing -I should
just mention that it gets extremely
hot on the upper deck at this time of
year, so it's a good idea to wear a
hat. Otherwise you could get quite
badly sunburned.
TOURIST Right. I'll remember that. Thanks
very much.
UNIT 2, EXTRACT 3
CLERK Good morning, Golden Wheels Car
Rentals. How can I help you?
MAN Yes, good morning. I'd like to hire
a car, please.
CLERK Can I just get your name, sir?
MAN Yes, Frank Moorcroft.
CLERK Could you spell that please?
MAN Yes, Frank -FRANK, Moorcroft -
M double О R С R 0 F Т
CLERK And the address?
MAN My home address?
CLERK Yes, sir. We need your home address.
MAN Oh right. OK, Flat 26, 19 Lake Road,
Richmond.
CLERK And your telephone number there?
MAN 36974500.
CLERK Are you the holder of a current driver's
licence?
MAN Yes, I am.
CLERK Could I have the number please, sir?
MAN Just let me find it. Here we are.
UT9128.
CLERK Right, now what kind of vehicle were
you looking for?
MAN I was thinking of doing some off-road
driving,
CLERK When did you want to collect the
vehicle?
MAN Tomorrow, if that's possible.
CLERK Tomorrow's the 23rd June. Well, all the
four-wheel drives are out, but we've got
a nice family-sized vehicle-a Ford. I
could let you have that in the morning.
Almost as good as a four-wheel drive.
MAN OK. I'll take that. What is the cost of
the Ford?
CLERK Well, the daily rate is $70, but it's only
$50 a day if you have it for more than
three days.
MAN I'll need it for the whole week.
CLERK OK and there's an additional $15 for
insurance which brings it up to $65.00.
We do recommend that you take the
insurance.
MAN Right, so that's a total of $65 a day, not
$50.
Recording Script
CLERK Yes, sir, that's correct, and would you
like to collect it from our city branch
or at the airport or your hotel?
MAN I can pick it up in the city.
CLERK And how will you be paying for that?
Cash, cheque or credit card?
MAN Do you take traveller's cheques?
CLERK No, sorry.
MAN I'll pay by credit card then.
CLERK Right, thank you very much. We'll see
you in the morning, sir.
UNIT 3, EXTRACT 1
JILL Hello, Sue ... fancy meeting you here! It
is Sue Johnson, isn't it?
SUE Oh, hi, Jill. It must be ages since we've
seen each other. What a surprise! How
are уоu?
JILL Yes, well, ... I'm fine ... just got back
from two years' teaching in Hong Kong,
actually.
SUE I thought you'd gone into computing or
nursing.
JILL No, I ended up being a teacher after all...
And how about you?
SUE Oh, fine. Things are going quite well in
fact.
JILL So what've you been up to over the last
three years?
SUE Working, studying, you know the usual
things ... Oh, and I got married last year.
JILL Congratulations! Anyone I know?
SUE Yeah, you might remember him from our
college days. По you remember Gerry?
Gerry Fox?
JILL Gerry ... Was he the one with the dark
hair and beard?
SUE No, that was Sam, No, Gerry's got blond
hair and glasses. He's pretty tall. Well, we
got married ... finally ...
JILL Great, and where did the wedding take
place? Was it here in London?
SUE No, in the end we decided to get married
in Scotland. Gerry's parents live there, so
we were married in the small village
church, with the mountains in the
background.
JILL Fabulous. Have you got any pictures?
SUE Well, funny you should ask ... I have
actually got a couple here. They're a bit
battered because I've been carrying
them around in my bag.
JILL Oh, never mind. Let's have a look. Oh,
don't you look wonderful! Who are those
people behind you?
SUE That's my older sister Clara.
JILL Oh, she looks like you.
SUE Do you think so? Everyone says that, but
we can't see it.
JILL Is she married now?
SUE Yes, and she's got three children: a girl
and twin boys as well.
JILL Wow - imagine having twins!
SUE Look, why don't we have dinner together
and catch up on a few things?
Would you like to come over one
evening?
JILL That'd be lovely.
SUE What about next Friday evening?
JILL Fine. What time? Shall I come over about
8 o'clock?
SUE Oh, come about half past seven. I'm
usually home around 6.30 so that'd give
me plenty of time to get dinner ready.
JILL Fine, and one last thing ... where do you
live? What's the address?
SUE Oh, good thinking ... here's my card, the
address is on the back. We've got aflat in
an old house. We live on the third floor of
a large old house. The house has been
converted into flats. You know, it's a
typical London flat. So when you arrive
you'll need to press the bell second from
the top.
JILL The bell second from the top. OK.
SUE There's a little intercom arrangement so
I can let you in.
JILL Right. OK, see you on Friday then.
UNIT 4, EXTRACT 1
WOMAN A Guess who I saw today?
WOMAN В Who?
WOMAN A I ran into our old English
teacher, Mr Britton, in the
supermarket.
WOMAN В Really?
Recording Script
WOMAN A Funny thing is - I didn't
recognise him. He tapped
me on the shoulder and I
wondered who on earth it
was! He's grown a beard
and he looks quite different.
1
ASSISTANT Can I help you?
STUDENT Yes, well, I bought this tie
last week for my boyfriend's
birthday and um, well, he
doesn't like it. Could I
change it for something
else?
ASSISTANT Certainly, madam,
provided that it hasn't
been worn and that you
have the receipt.
STUDENT Yes, here it is.
ASSISTANT OK ... um ... this tie looks
as if it's been worn, I'm
afraid. I can't put that back
on the rack.
STUDENT Oh ... that's a pity.
2
WIFE You know, John, I'm
getting quite worried
about Maria.
HUSBAND Why - what's happened?
WIFE Well, I was speaking to her
teacher today after school.
She tells me that Maria
often doesn't finish her
homework and when she
does ... well... the
standard is often pretty
poor.
HUSBAND Maybe I'd better have
a word with her then.
3
NEWSREADER And now, closer to home
and the health service ..,
The prime minister
announced today that the
Government would be
looking at ways of
reducing hospital waiting
lists in Australian
hospitals. At present
patients can wait up to two
years for a hospital bed for
operations not considered
to be life-threatening, A
spokesperson for St
Michael's Hospital said
some patients wait for
over two years for
operations such as hip
replacements and other
so-called minor surgery.
4
STUDENT A Now,... about this picnic.
Where are we going to go?
STUDENT В Well, I thought we might
all meet up at the Opera
House at two o'clock and
walk through the Botanical
Gardens and find a nice
spot down near the water.
What do you think?
STUDENT В Great!
5
STUDENT A You know the computing
assignment we've got?
STUDENT В Yeah!
STUDENT A Have you finished yours
yet?
STUDENT В No ... have you?
STUDENT A No, that's why I asked. I'm
having a lot of difficulty
understanding the topic.
STUDENT В Why don't we go and see
the lecturer about it and
ask him? He's a pretty
friendly sort of guy. I'm
sure he won't mind.
STUDENT A Good idea.
6
STUDENT Excuse me ... I'm trying to
find a copy of A Guide to
English Grammar-I can't
find it on the shelf.
LIBRARIAN Let me have a look. It may
be waiting to be put back
on the shelves. Hold on a
minute. ...Yes, it came
back in this morning, but
a couple of people have
Recording Script
reserved it already. Would
you like to reserve it after
that?
STUDENT No, thanks -I think I'll go
and buy a copy for myself!
ASSISTANT
TEENAGER
ASSISTANT
TEENAGER
8
VICE CHANCELLOR
Hey! You guys! Could you
two stop playing on the
walking machine? It's not
a toy, you know.
Oh sorry. We were Just
trying it out. Isn't that what
it's for?
If you're not going to buy
it, you shouldn't use it!
Well, we don't know
whether we're going to buy
it if we don't try it, do we?
Good afternoon,
distinguished guests,
family and friends and
students of this university.
I'd like to extend a very
warm welcome to you all
and say how pleasing it is
to see such a good turnout
of parents and friends at
today's graduation
ceremony which is, in my
opinion, a most important
day in the university
calendar.
UNIT 4, EXTRACT 2
PRESENTER
Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Tell
me more - the programme where you ask the
questions and we provide the answers. And
we've had a wide variety of questions from you
this week.
And the subject we've picked for you this week in
response to your many letters is the production
of postage stamps. And as usual, we've been
doing our homework on the subject.
So who designs the postage stamps that we stick
on our letters? Well in Australia the design of
postage stamps is in the hands of Australia Post.
In Britain, it's the Royal Mail that looks after
stamps and it seems that both countries have
a similar approach to the production process.
We discovered to our surprise that it can take up
to two years to produce a new postage stamp.
Why's that I hear you ask! Surely it can't be all
that difficult to design a stamp? In fact, it isn't.
But it seems it's a lengthy business. Firstly they
have to choose the subjects and this is done
with the help of market research. Members of
the general public, including families, are
surveyed to find out what sort of things they
would like to see on their stamps. They are given
a list of possible topics and asked to rank them.
A list is then presented to the Advisory
Committee which meets about once a month.
The committee is made up of outside
designers, graphic artists and stamp collectors.
If the committee likes the list, it sends it up to
the Board of Directors which makes the final
decision. Then they commission an artist. In
Australia artists are paid $1,500 for a stamp
design and a further $800 if the committee
actually decides to use the design. So there's a
possibility that a stamp might be designed, but
still never actually go into circulation.
So what kind of topics are acceptable? Well, the
most important thing is that they must be of
national interest. And because a stamp needs
to represent the country in some way,
characters from books are popular, or you
often find national animals and birds. So of
course, the kangaroo is a favourite in Australia.
With the notable exception of members of the
British royal family, no living people ever
appear on Australian or British stamps. This
policy is under review, but many stamp
enthusiasts see good reason for keeping it that
way to avoid the possibility of people in power
using their influence to get onto the stamps.
Every year the Royal Mail in Britain receives
about 2000 ideas for stamps but very few of
them are ever used. One favourite topic is kings
and queens; for instance King Henry VIII,
famous for his six wives, has recently appeared
on a British stamp together with a stamp
featuring each of his wives.
7
Recording Script
But despite the extensive research which is
done before a stamp is produced, it seems it's
hard to please everybody, and apparently all
sorts of people write to the post office to say
that they loved or hated a particular series.
The stamp to cause the most concern ever in
Australia was a picture of Father Christmas
surfing at the beach. And when you consider
that the practical function of a stamp is only as
a receipt for postage, / think perhaps the
importance accorded to stamps has got out of
all proportion!
Well, that's all for today. If there's a subject you
want us to tell you more about, drop us a line
at...
UNIT 5, EXTRACT 1
GIRL Mum! What do you think of my
new shirt? Do you like it?
WOMAN Oh, it's ... uh ... lovely, darling.
Girl Oh Mum.
NARRATOR Did the woman like the shirt?
The answer is No.
MAN Fantastic! This is the first day I've
had off for months and look at
the weather. Would you believe it?
WOMAN Oh well. At least you've got the
day to yourself. Never mind the
weather.
NARRATOR Is the weather fine?
2
STUDENT A Hi, Sue. It's Mario here.
STUDENT В Oh, hi. How are you?
STUDENT A Fine - look I was wondering if you
were free on Saturday evening.
I've got some tickets for a concert.
Would you like to come?
STUDENT В Oh, look, I'm sorry ... I'd really
like to, but... like ... I'm studying
for my exams at the moment, and
well... I'm sorry ... I can't,
STUDENT A OK - not to worry. Some other
time then, I suppose.
STUDENT В Right... sure ...
NARRATOR Is the girl trying to avoid the date?
CUSTOMER I bought this mobile phone on
Friday.,,
ASSISTANT Is there a problem with it, sir?
CUSTOMER Well, primarily, it does not appear
to function outside the
metropolitan area, which means
it fails to function as a mobile
phone as far as I can see.
ASSISTANT Right, I'll just have a word with
the manager and see what we
can do.
NARRATOR Was the man satisfied with the
phone?
4
REPORTER Excuse me, Minister. Can you tell
us whether your government
intends to increase student
university fees in the next budget?
POLITICIAN The government has every
intention of ensuring that
students will not be
disadvantaged by any increase in
fees which it may be necessary to
introduce, by offering grants and
scholarships to students wherever
possible.
NARRATOR Are university fees going to rise?
5
MAN I've just ordered a new MMX
computer with 32-speed CD
ROM; I'm getting it tomorrow.
WOMAN That's great.
MAN It's twice the speed of the one
we've got now and much better for
games.
WOMAN Can't wait to see it.
NARRATOR Does the woman want to see the
computer?
6
MOTHER What did the doctor have to say?
SON Well, she said if I want to get rid
of this flu I should stay in bed for
the next three days, drink plenty
of orange juice and stay nice and
warm.
MOTHER That means you'll miss your
football on Saturday.
SON No, I should be OK by Saturday.
1
3
Recording Script
MOTHER Oh, OK? Too sick for school, but
OK for football, eh?
SON Mum, that's not fair.
NARRATOR Is the boy very sick?
7
WOMAN I've just seen the new Bond
movie.
MAN Have you? I saw it on Saturday ,
WOMAN Wasn't it fabulous? Didn't you just
love the special effects?
MAN Yeah, they weren't bad. It was OK.
NARRATOR Did the woman like the movie?
8
TEACHER Michael, did you do this work
yourself?
STUDENT Yes, sir. Of course I did.
TEACHER It seems to have been remarkably
well done, for you!
STUDENT Guess I had a good day, sir.
TEACHER Michael, I wasn't born yesterday.
STUDENT No, sir.
NARRATOR Is the teacher pleased with the
boy's work?
UNIT 5, EXTRACT 2
RICHARD Sue, who was that at the door?
SUE Oh, someone collecting money for
the local hospital again.
FRANK Did you give them anything?
SUE No, Frank, I did not. I refuse to give
money at the door to people - it
annoys me the way they come round
here on Sunday morning, expecting
us to donate money all the time.
RICHARD Well, they're hardly likely to come
round during the week, are they?
'Cos anybody who can afford to
donate money will be out at work!
Anyway, Sue, I think they just make
you feel guilty.
SUE Richard, I beg your pardon!
RICHARD You don't want to give any money,
so you turn the situation round and
blame them for knocking on your
door.
SUE Richard, that's not true! I'm happy to
give money but through the official
channels, I just don't like people
coming to my door.
FRANK Well... I tend to agree with Sue. /
don't see why we should have to pay
for the new hospital out of our
pockets. We already pay our taxes -
income tax, purchase tax, you name
it tax. The government should pay
for the hospital out of general
revenue - not the local residents.
SUE Yes, that's right. I mean - perhaps
we don't need a hospital in this area
anyway. Why can't people go to the
General Hospital in town? They've
got all the facilities there.
FRANK Ah, but Sue. The day you need a
hospital, you'll want it there ready and
waiting for you, close to home, not
miles away. And besides, other people
may not be able to travel into town like
you. Old people, people without cars ...
SUE Oh Frank, you know what I mean.
Anyway, I still think that the
government should pay for this kind
of thing.
RICHARD That's because you've grown up in a
system where the state does
everything for you from the cradle to
the grave. But, it doesn't work like
that any more; the party's over, I'm
afraid, because there simply isn't
enough money left in the bank to pay
for all this stuff. You see, we're an ...
SUE Yes, but most of the time they waste it,
I mean, look at how much
government money is spent on
roads, on airports, on huge hotels, on
space research, for instance, instead
of on local social issues. If they...
FRANK Well, I 'm sorry but I can't agree with
you there. Firstly, hotels are built
privately, with private money, not
government money, and as for
space research ... well, I think it's
incredibly important.
SUE Why, Frank? Tell me ... why is space
research so important?
FRANK Because it's pushing back the
frontiers of science ... quite literally
... and also because you get some
fantastic discoveries made as a
result of this kind of research and
they have an immediate effect on our
day to day lives.
Recording Script
RICHARD Such as non-stick teflon frying pans.
FRANK Well yes, but there are other much
more relevant examples - high
speed aircraft, for instance,
navigational equipment, thermal
clothing, all sorts of things.
RICHARD Nice to think that your up to date
skiing clothes were originally
designed for astronauts.
SUE Oh Richard, you are such a cynic.
FRANK Well, you guys can laugh, but / bet
you by the year 2050, people will
actually be shooting off to Mars on
their holidays, to get away from it all!
SUE No thanks. Not me!
FRANK You think I'm joking, don't you? The
next great explorers of this world
will be the astronauts. People with
vision and courage to try and find
new territories. You think it's just
science fiction, but it isn't. It's real.
SUE Well I still think the government
would be better advised to target
some of the problems on this earth
before they go shooting off to Mars.
How can we possibly talk about
space travel when there is youth
unemployment, crime, poverty...?
That's where our energy should be
going .., into making sure that
people have a roof over their heads
and employment because work gives
people a sense of self. No one wants
to be on the receiving end of charity
all the time.
RICHARD Here we go again. Lots of fine ideals,
but...
SUE Richard, you have to have ideals.
Otherwise what's the point?
FRANK Yeah, I agree with Sue. I think she's
right.
RICHARD I don't know.
UNIT 6, EXTRACT 1
Incoming governments often make promises
which they cannot keep. For instance they say
they will reduce unemployment, but the
number of people out of work remains static.
Every Roman town had at its centre a forum,
where people came together to conduct their
offical and religious affairs. In addition, the
forum was used as a meeting place.
3
The meteorological office predicted rain for the
two weeks of the Olympic Games. In
consequence there were fewer spectators than
we had anticipated.
4
Learning a foreign language can be difficult
and at times frustrating. However the rewards
usually outweigh the difficulties involved.
5
Not only did the Second World War result in
the displacement of millions of innocent
civilians, it also caused tremendous political
change.
6
Despite the efforts of the government to
reduce the incidence of smoking among
teenagers and young adults, I regret to say that
smoking is not in decline.
7
This is how to approach writing an essay. First,
you should read the question carefully. Then
you should make some notes covering your
main ideas. After that you can start writing.
8
No matter how hard you try to justify the sport
of fox hunting, the fact remains that animals
are slaughtered simply to provide
entertainment for humans.
Firstly I would like to talk about the early life of
J.F. Kennedy. Secondly, we will look at the
period of his presidency, and thirdly we will
review the effects of his assassination,
10
On the one hand, it may be advisable to study
hard the night before an exam; on the other
hand, it is wise to get a good night's sleep
before sitting a test.
1
2
9
UNIT 6, EXTRACT 2
TUTOR OK, come on in. Hi Ben, hello Mark,
Sally. Let's get going shall we, because
we've got a lot of ground to cover this
afternoon. It's Ben's turn to give his
tutorial paper today but, remember,
we do encourage questions from the
rest of you, so do try to join in and ask
questions.
BEN OK.
TUTOR Now, I believe Ben's going to talk to us
today about the exploration of the
Red Planet,
BEN That's right. I'm going to be looking at
the recent landing by the Americans
of a spacecraft on the planet Mars
and in particular focusing on the
small rover robot.
MARK Is that the little robot that functions
as a geologist?
BEN Yes, that's right. It's called a rover -
like a land rover, I suppose! - and it
can detect the geological composition
of the ground it's standing on so, yes,
it's a sort of geologist. It's actually
quite amazing.
TUTOR 1 heard it described as being like а
microwave oven on wheels.
BEN Yeah, well from an appearance point
of view, that's a fair description. I've
photocopied a picture of it for you, so
that you can keep this for reference
and make some notes and I'll just
hand that out now.
VOICES Thanks.
MARK Wow, you'd actually expect it to look
more space age than this, wouldn't
you? Like more sophisticated.
BEN OK, well as you can see it's quite
small. It actually only weighs 16,5 kg.
TUTOR Right, and what kind of speed is it
capable of, Ben?
BEN Um, well I suppose that depends on
the terrain, but I understand that it
has a top speed of 2.4km an hour
which isn't very fast, really.
TUTOR And can you tell us how it works,
explain some of these things we can
see here?
Recording Script
BEN Well first of all on the top it's fitted
with solar panels. It runs on solar
energy, of course.
SALLY Does that mean it can't work at night?
BEN Yes, indeed it does. I guess it sleeps at
night! So you have the solar panels on
the top, and underneath this is the
part known as the 'warm box'.
MARK What's the purpose of that?
BEN Well, at night the temperatures on
Mars can go below 100 degrees, so the
warm box is designed to protect the
electronics from the extreme cold.
It's also fitted with two cameras on
the front.
TUTOR OK. And what about its wheels?
BEN It's got six aluminium wheels, each
13 cm in diameter. Each one has its
own motor, so it's individually
powered, which allows the vehicle to
turn on the spot if necessary. And as
you know aluminium is very light.
MARK And how is it steered?
BEN Good question! It's steered using
virtual reality goggles worn by
someone back on earth, believe it or
not, though because the robot can't
be manipulated in real time it can't be
steered in real time either.
SALLY What do you mean exactly?
BEN Well you see it takes more than
11 minutes for a radio signal to travel
from command headquarters in
California to Mars and another 11
minutes for the answer to come back.
SALLY You mean there's a time delay.
BEN Yes, exactly. And the time delay or
time lag means it can't be steered
directly from Earth. So what they do
is this. They photograph the area
around the rover and the scientists
will decide where they want the rover
to go.
TUTOR In other words, they'll plot a course for
the rover.
BEN Exactly,
TUTOR OK, Ben, that's very interesting. Now
can you tell us anything about this
space mission itself? Why Mars?
Recording Script
BEN Well, people have been fascinated by
Mars for a long time and it is
generally believed that Mars is the
only other planet in the solar system
to have abundant water.
TUTOR Is it possible that people might one
day be able to live on Mars?
BEN Well of course there's a lot of work to
be done yet, but theoretically I can't
see why not.
TUTOR Thanks, Ben, that was very interesting.
UNIT 7, EXTRACT 2
LECTURER
Today, in our series of lectures on human
language, we are going to be looking at the
way in which children acquire language. The
study of how people learn to speak has proved
to be one of the most fascinating, important
and complex branches of language study. So
let's look at these three features in turn.
Firstly - why is it fascinating? This stems from
the natural interest people take in the
developing abilities of young children. People
are fascinated by the way in which children
learn, particularly their own children!
Secondly, it is important to study how we
acquire our first language, because the study of
child language can lead us to a greater
understanding of language as a whole. The
third point is that it's a complex study and this
is because of the enormous difficulties that are
encountered by researchers as soon as they
attempt to explain language development,
especially in the very young child.
In today's lecture we will cover a number of
topics. We will start by talking about research
methods. There are a number of ways that
researchers have investigated children's
language and these include the use of diaries,
recordings and tests, and we'll be looking at
how researchers make use of these various
methods. We will then go on to examine the
language learning process, starting with the
development of speech in young infants during
the first year of life. This is the time associated
with the emergence of the skills of speech
perception, in other words, an emergence of
the child's awareness of his or her own ability to
speak. We will continue with our examination
of the language learning process, this time by
looking at language learning in the older child,
that is in children under five. As they mature, it
is possible to begin analysis in conventional
linguistic terms, and so in our analysis we will
look at phonological, grammatical and
semantic development in pre-school children.
In the second part of the talk I would like to
review some educational approaches to the
question of how linguistic skills can be
developed. In other words, how can we assist
the young child to learn language skills at
school? Initially we will look at issues that arise
in relation to spoken language; we will then
look at reading and review a number of
approaches that have been proposed in relation
to the teaching of reading. Finally we will
conclude today's talk with an account of
current thinking about the most neglected area
of all, the child's developing awareness of
written language.
UNIT 7, EXTRACT 3
LECTURER
In today's lecture I want to look at one of
Australia's least loved animals, but one that has
an interesting history from which, I think, we
can learn a fundamental lesson about problem
solving.
While Australia is famous for its many
wonderful native animals, in particular the
kangaroo and the koala, it also has some less
attractive animals, many of which were
actually brought to Australia in the 19th and
20th centuries.
Perhaps the most well known introduced animal
is the rabbit, brought originally by the early
settlers as a source of food. Another animal to be
introduced by the settlers was the fox, for the
purpose of sport т the form of fox hunting.
But perhaps the most unusual animal ever
brought here was the cane toad. Here is a
picture of one. (Picture at top of page) It is a
large, and some people would say, very ugly
Recording Script
species of toad and was deliberately imported
to this country by the sugar cane farmers in
1935 to eradicate the beetle which kills the
sugar cane plant.
The cane beetle is the natural enemy of the
sugar cane plant. It lives in the cane and drops
its eggs onto the ground around the base of the
plant. The eggs develop into grubs and then
the grub eats the roots of the cane resulting in
the death of the plant. In the mid thirties there
was a serious outbreak of cane beetle and the
farmers became desperate to get rid of the pest
which was ruining their livelihood.
Meanwhile news was trickling in from overseas
about a toad, native to central America which
supposedly ate the beetles which killed the
cane. It was reported that the toad had been
taken to Hawaii, where cane is also grown, and
introduced with apparent success. So with the
backing of the Queensland authorities, the
farmers arranged to import one hundred toads
from Hawaii. The toads were then released into
the cane fields to undertake the eradication of
the cane beetle.
As predicted the toads started to breed
successfully and within a very short time their
numbers had swollen. But there was one
serious problem. It turned out that cane toads
do not eat cane beetles. And the reason for this
is that toads live on insects that are found on
the ground and the cane beetle lives at the top
of the cane plant well out of reach of the toads.
In fact they never come into contact with each
other.
Now you may well ask: How did this terrible
mistake ever happen? And the reason is quite
simply that the farmers were desperate to find
a way of ridding their fields of the cane beetle
and so they accepted the reports that had been
written without ever doing their own research.
And the added irony is that in 1947, just twelve
years later, an effective pesticide was
developed which kills the beetle, thereby
ensuring the survival of the sugar cane industry
to this day. Meanwhile much of tropical north
east Australia is infested with the cane toad
which serves no purpose whatsoever and
experts claim that the toad is spreading south
in plague proportions.
Now as agricultural scientists, we have to ask
ourselves: what lessons are to be learned from
this tale? And I can think of three main points.
Firstly, one should never rely on claims which
are not backed up by evidence, i.e. in this case,
evidence that the cane toad actually eats the
grub of the cane beetle and thereby kills the
pest.
Secondly, we should look very carefully at
possible effects of introducing any living species
into a new environment, and lastly, one should
not allow one's decision making to be
influenced by a sense of desperation which
may cloud the issue. In other words, one
should always seek objective advice.
IELTS PRACTICE LISTENING TEST
SECTION 1
AGENT Good morning.
STUDENT Good morning. Um ... I'm looking
for a place to rent near the
university.
AGENT What are you after? A house, a flat
... a room?
STUDENT Well, preferably a house, if that's
possible. There are three of us
looking altogether. We thought we
might share if we could find
something suitable,
AGENT So something near the university?
STUDENT Yes, if that's at all possible. We're all
students so it'd be good if we could
find something within walking
distance of the campus. None of us
has a car and we don't want to have
to take public transport.
AGENT Yeah, well everybody wants that of
course.
STUDENT Yeah, I suppose they do.
AGENT Are you in your first year?
STUDENT No, I've been here a year already.
Last year we all lived in a hall of
residence. That was really great,
even the food wasn't too bad. We
had a lot of fun there. But in the
second year they kick you out into
the real world!
Recording Script
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
AGENT
STUDENT
OK, so let me have a look and see
what we've got ... Well, there's a
two-bedroom house in Newtown
which is quite cheap.
That'd be good because it's very near
the university, but if we all want our
own rooms it isn't really big enough.
Too small. Give that one a miss?
Yeah, I think so. Got anything else?
What about this? Three-bedroom
flat, close to the university. ... It's
$400 a week.
Oh, that's too expensive.
Alright, well... here's something
that might interest you. It's a threebedroom
house with garden.
Not bothered about the garden, but
where is it?
Near the airport.
That's miles from the university.
Yes, it is quite far, but it's reasonably
priced at $250.00 a week. Why don't
you go and have a look?
Oh ... alright. We will. Can I have
the address?
Right, well it's at 14a Station Road,
Botany,
Is anyone living there at the moment?
No, it's vacant.
And does it have any furniture?
Well it says here that it's partially
furnished.
What does that mean exactly?
Well there's a kitchen table and
chairs, two single beds, a double
bed, two wardrobes, a kitchen
cooker and a washing machine. Not
bad really for the money.
Is there a fridge?
It doesn't mention it here. I can let
you have the key and you can pop
round and see for yourself.
Right... thanks. We'll do that.
Hello ... you're back. How did you
find the house?
Well... not bad. It's certainly large
enough and there's quite a big
garden, but it's completely
overgrown. You can hardly get out
the back door because the grass is
so high. We'd have to have it tidied
up a bit before we moved in.
AGENT OK.
STUDENT The kitchen is fine, but there.
awful smell throughout the hou
AGENT The place hasn't been occupied for
a couple of months, so that's
probably why it's a bit musty. It'll be
fine when you open up the
windows and let some fresh air in.
STUDENT Yeah, well I think the landlord
ought to pay to clean the carpets at
least.
AGENT I can put that to him, though I'm
not sure whether he'll agree. We can
but ask.
STUDENT OK. Well if he does, we'd probably
be interested ...
SECTION 2
PRESENTER
Hello and welcome to Cooking Capers. And this
week we're looking at that most versatile and
aromatic of plants: a fairly recent addition to
the list of Australian agricultural produce, but
nevertheless, a great favourite today - ginger.
And in the studio to tell us all about it is
Monica Maxwell.
MONICA
Ginger is one of my personal favourite spices
and I've got a number of wonderful recipes to
share with you later on in the programme. So
what is ginger? Well, actually it's a spicy-tasting
root with an aromatic flavour; it's related to the
bamboo family and has a hundred different
uses in the kitchen. The Chinese have
cultivated it for years, particularly to use in
medicine, though you are probably more
familiar with its culinary uses. But first, let's
take a brief look at its history before we look at
how it can be used, because it's had a very
interesting history. Ginger originated in the
southern provinces of China and in India,
where it had been used in medicines and food
preparation for over 5000 years. The early
traders who came upon the plant took it to
many parts of the world such as Nigeria, the
West Indies, Central America, East Africa and
even Indonesia.
Australia is now the largest producer of ginger
in the world, it wasn't grown in Australia until
Bthreis ebaarnley 2in0 tQh uceenentusrlya.nd earlier this century.
The comparatively high rainfall and humidity
in this area produce conditions which are
perfect for growing ginger. So it became well
established, but in the early days the relatively
high cost of production placed it at a
disadvantage in the market by comparison
with the much cheaper ginger produced by
other countries with lower production costs.
Then in 1941 the supply of ginger to Australia
started to run out. Remember ... this was in
the middle of the Second World War when
everything was in short supply. This provided
the perfect opportunity for the Queensland
growers to expand their production and sales.
Five local farmers got together and formed a
cooperative association in a place called
Buderim. They started with only 25 pounds
between them. (That was in the days when
Australian currency was pounds, not dollars.)
So they set up the company with two wooden
vats and 14 tons of raw ginger, but they went
on to become the most successful ginger
farmers in the world.
In fact nearly all the world's ginger now comes
from the Buderim ginger factory in
Queensland. 40% of the production is used in
Australia and the remaining 60% is exported
overseas to places like Europe, North America,
South Africa, and even to Asia, where it
originated in the first place.
So now let's move on to looking at ways of
using ginger in the kitchen ...
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
DR CLARKE
INTERVIEWER
people s minds - why do you
think that is?
YHeasp,p ienn ai nwga ya nydo,u u'r eo rui,g hWtH. KII ItIhKIink
it's caused by human activity.
A greenhouse effect is, after all,
a natural phenomenon ...
Yes, as we know, naturally
occurring gases float above us,
acting as insulators that prevent
heat being radiated into space.
And the fear is that the
insulation might get thicker ...
Yes ... and because of this, the
earth might get warmer,
The latest prediction we've
heard is that temperature will
increase by about a third of a
degree every ten years. What are
your feelings?
Well... this prediction is
difficult to make. You see the
global climate is the result of a
web of influences. Who is to say
that a simple action such as
adding carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere will not have
several effects which might
even cancel each other out?
And I understand that the
prediction is hard to verify
whatever...
Precisely.
Why is that?
Because the earth's temperature
surges and subsides naturally. In
fact the best way of detecting
global temperature change is to
measure the temperature of the
oceans as accurately as possible.
And this avoids the sort of
seasonal fluctuations of the
temperature of land mass.
Recording Script
DR CLARKE Yes - in fact an understanding
of the oceans is crucial to
understanding how the global
climate works. The ocean
transports heat around the
globe. It's like a great reservoir
of heat - a tiny change in sea
surface temperature denotes a
huge change in the amount of
heat it is storing.
INTERVIEWER And now, I understand you are
looking at ways of refining this
measurement of ocean
temperature.
DR CLARKE Yes. For a long time, we've
measured it by placing
thermometers in buoys bobbing
in the oceans and also when
ships draw water through their
engines.
INTERVIEWER It's also been done by satellite,
hasn't it?
DR CLARKE Yes. But now data from a more
promising system is being
collected. This is the European
along-track scanning
radiometer or ATSR, a much
simpler name. The ATSR orbits
the earth above us.
INTERVIEWER And what stage are you at with
this?
DR CLARKE Well it's been up there two and a
half years now. It's an infra-red
detector that senses the earth's
temperature with great accuracy
and this is what we need , . , we
have to be able to separate out
random changes in
temperature.
INTERVIEWER I believe there are other
advantages as well?
DR CLARKE There are several... Every few
days it covers the entire earth. So
it produces large quantities of
data. It measures the
temperature from two angles,
which allows correction for any
effects that the intervening
atmosphere may be having on
its readings. Its field of view has
a width of 500km and it
measures the temperature to 0.3
degrees centigrade.
INTERVIEWER And it should go on for years?
DR CLARKE Yes.
INTERVIEWER Thank you, Dr Clarke, for
talking to us today ... and now
over to..
SECTION 4
PRESENTER
Well, we're delighted to have the opportunity
to hear from Sue Gent, our specialist on
student affairs, about a course with a
difference.
SUE GENT
Thank you, Tony.
'Many people think that conservation is just
about saving fluffy animals - what they don't
realise is that it is a war, to save the human race
from committing suicide.' Strong words - but
this was the belief of the famous
conservationist - Gerald Durrell.
Gerald Durrell was an English conservationist
who dedicated his life to the conservation of
animals, and among his many achievements
was the establishment of a zoo in Jersey. There
he set up the Wildlife Preservation Trust, which
conducts courses on preservation and attracts
students from developing countries; many of
these students are making their first trip away
from home.
The students who come to Jersey to study are
of all ages. The first was a man called Jousseff
Mungroo, who came from Mauritius in 1977.
He was particularly interested in the
conservation of large African birds. When he
arrived, there were only four Mauritius falcons
- these are big birds of prey- left in his African
homeland. Now, since he has returned, the
numbers have increased to 200. When Jousseff
first arrived in Jersey he was unused to the
freezing winters, so he liked to spend time in
the reptile house. He said it was the warmest
place on the island!
Recording Script
So let's look at how students are chosen to
participate in one of the zoo's programmes.
Well, according to their teacher their work or
study must involve animals - the zoo is proud
of the fact that many of its graduates are now in
positions to influence the way animals are kept
and utilised for conservation. Once they start
the course, the students have to spend a lot of
time studying the English language; in addition
to that they also have to cover many aspects of
animal conservation.
This year 27 students from 21 different
countries are already waiting to participate in
the intensive training programmes at the zoo. In
a principles and practice course they learn both
theory and practice: first they learn the theory
of conservation biology, working in areas such
as veterinary medicine. Then they move into the
practical part of the course and work with the
zoo keepers, where they learn to care for the
animals.
Over 350 full-time students have graduated
since Jousseff Mungroo, and, like him, some
graduates have made big names for themselves
in the zoo and conservation world. A former
Chinese student is now responsible for captive
breeding and conservation throughout his
country and a student from Mauritius who
trained at the zoo is the present Conservation
Officer for Mauritius.
Answer Key
Listening Unit 1
Extract 1
Discussion questions
11 Unprepared speech contains hesitations,
repetition and redundancy. Language
written to be read out loud is dense and
may contain a lot of information and
complex grammatical structures. Speech
is often easier to understand because it
contains repetition and hesitation.
12 Spoken language is usually face to face -
facial expression and gesture and
context help you to understand. On the
telephone you do not have this help
because you cannot see the other
speaker. Recorded conversations are
similar because you are not part of the
conversation yourself. You are an
'outsider'. When listening to an IELTS
recording, you need to make good use of
any clues included in the question or in
the sound effects on the tape.
Listening Unit 2
Extract 1
1 Friday (night)
2 7.30
3 Video recorder // VCR
4 £50
5 (University) bookshop
6 not available // out of print
7 (new) football boots
8 12.00
9 (the) flu
10 Mon(day), 3.30 (pm)
11 (some/a pair of/Mr Lee's) glasses
12 customer service desk
13 (farewell) party
14 98184078
Extract 2
1 Coffee
2 9.30(am)
3 (free) (souvenir) postcard
4 $42
5 (3-course) lunch
6 2.15(pm)
7 sandwiches
8 opposite (the) shops
9 English (only)
10 wear/take a hat
Extract 3
1 Frank Moorcroft
2 19 Lake Road
3 36974500
4 UT9128
5 23 June (not tomorrow)
6 С
7 С
8 В
9 A
10 В
Answer Key
Listening Unit 3
Extract 1
1 A
2 С
3 С
4 В
5 A
6 A
Listening Unit 4
Extract 1
The reason it is not always possible to predict
what people are going to say is that, by
definition, every utterance is an original one.
Whereas, for example, the predictable
conversation between a librarian and student
would be about a book, we could not predict
the possibility that one was inviting the other
out for dinner. The following examples are,
however, all of a predictable nature.
NB The answers in the last two columns
are only examples, out of many possible
answers. What is important is that you
have understood the topic and how
it develops.
4 В
5 С
6 national interest//the countrv//the
Listening Unit 5
Pre-listening
a I thought the assignment was due in on
Thursday. What did you think?
b I thought the assignment was due in on
Thursday, Now, I find it's the exam on
Thursday.
с I thought the assignment was due in on
Thursday. But it was due on Wednesday.
Extract 1
1 No. Speed of delivery (i.e. he is speaking
quickly). Falling intonation.
2 Yes. Hesitations and lack of interest in
voice.
3 No. Customer's sarcastic tone, use of
formal words.
4 Yes. Indirect answer - avoidance.
5 No. Lack of interest. Her flat tone-use of
irony.
6 No. Mother's flat response and use of
irony.
7 Yes. Negative question tag inviting
agreement. Upward intonation.
8 No. The man's irritation and sarcastic
tone.
Extract 2
1 В
2 С
3 D
4 A
5 С
6 С
7 В
8 D
be so annoying
from the cradle to the grave = from birth to
death i.e. throughout your life
crowds, to find somewhere quiet to live
to have a roof over their heads = to have
somewhere to live
Listening Unit 6
Extract 1
Here are some example answers, out of
many possible answers.
1 ... they say they will reduce
unemployment, but the number of
people out of work remains static,
2 ... was used as a meeting place.
3 ... there were fewer spectators than we
had anticipated.
4 ... the rewards usually outweigh the
difficulties involved.
5 ... also caused tremendous political
change.
6 ... is not in decline.
7 ... you should make some notes
covering your main ideas. After that you
can start writing.
8 ... animals arc slaughtered simply to
provide entertainment for humans.
9 ... we will look at the period of his
presidency and thirdly we will review the
effects of his assassination,
10 ... it is wise to get a good night's sleep
before sitting a test.
Answer Key
Extract 2
1 geologist
2 microwave (oven)
3 slowly
4 solar panels
5 warm box
6 two cameras
7 aluminium
8 time lag/delay
9 course//journey
10 (plenty of/abundant) water
Listening Unit 7
Extract 2
1 interest
2 important
3 complex
4 research methods
5 (language) learning process
6 analysis
7 educational approaches
8 spoken
9 reading
10 writing // written language
Extract 3
1 rabbit
2 (fox) hunting//sport
3 sugar cane farmers
4 root of (sugar) cane
5 dies
6 A
7 В
8 С
9 A
10 С
Reading Unit 1
1 The IELTS Reading test.
2 To give information on the test.
3 Students who wish to sit IELTS.
4 To find out about the test.
5 Descriptive.
6 Geography/The Ant arctic/Map-making
(cartography).
7 Geography students.
8 Reasons why Antarctica is difficult to
map.
9 To compare map-making in the
Antarctic with the rest of the world.
10 The last sentence.
11 He has contributed to a report on soil.
12 By discussing some of the 'effects'.
13 It will present argument backed up by
research, whereas 'The Dynamic
Continent' is largely descriptive.
14 It separates main ideas.
15 The main ideas/topic sentences,
16 A
17 С
Reading Unit 2
1 concrete and glass
2 (the/its) diameter
3 (its) age and origin
4 by (a) volcano/volcanic eruption
5 (in) northern Scotland
6 geologists
7 Q4 because you can scan the text for the
name.
8 Q6 because it refers to an argument.
9 hydraulic lift
10 lantern // beacon
11 34 miles
12 (up to ) 300 rooms
13 circular storey
14 Л
15 v
16 v
17 X
18 play (with it/them/the bears)
19 sleep (with it/them/the bears)
Reading Unit 3
1 С
2 A errors, maps
В difficulties, reaching areas
С changes
D regularity, visit
3 Libraries are making digital copies of
books. // Technology is going to change
the way libraries work.
4 Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4
5 three, First, for example, similarly
6 Very easy, because the text is organised
around the three benefits.
10 genes
11 barriers
12 droughts
13 irrigation
Answer Key
Supplementary activity
14 abandoned
15 crops
16 10m hectares
17 store
18 8/eight harvests
Reading Unit 4
1 ix
2 i
3 v
4 ii
5 vi
6 viii
7 iv
8 В
Reading Unit 5
1 preserved
2 responding
3 safe
4 modern
5 single
6 unsuccessful
7 significant
8 careful
Supplementary activity
9 E
10 В
11 A
12 С
13 E
Reading Unit 6
1 To discuss new research findings.
2 They conflict.
3 No firm conclusions are drawn.
4 Are humans a threat to penguins? New
research says 'no'.
8 НA
9 SM
10 NC
11 RH
12 JA
13 NC
14 DG
15 MP
Supplementary activity
Suggested answers -just one example from
many possible answers
16 Computers raise serious copyright
issues, particularly for authors.
17 Scientists find it immensely difficult to
understand why we dream, because the
brain itself is extremely complicated.
18 Since we have little understanding of
soils we must take care to allow them to
recover after we use them, so as not to
cause permanent damage.
Reading Unit 7
la Fact. Even if we do not agree with the
statement, it is presented as a fact.
b Opinion, indicated by the words 'I find'.
с Claim, because it is backed up by
evidence.
d The first part of the sentence (Many
companies have schemes that reward
high sales) is a fact. The second part of
the sentence is an opinion, indicated
by the words 'in my experience'.
e Claim, indicated by the words 'say
researchers in Britain'.
2 D
3 YES
4 NO
5 NOT GIVEN
6 NO
7 NOT GIVEN
8 YES
9 YES
10 Suggested answers -just one example
from many possible answers
a The writer feels that Dr Masson's point
is diminished because he identifies too
closely with the animals.
b As a child, the writer had found his
grandmother intimidating.
с We do not question our views on
animals' emotions sufficiently.
11 С
12 B
13 A
Supplementary activity
14 anxiety//difficulty
15 novelists // the novelist // the writer
of fiction
Answer Key
16 channel of information
17 rewriting//revision
18 control over/of
19 right//opportunity
20 their/the director(s)
Reading Unit 8
1 Three.
2 1 hour.
3 40.
4 About 20 minutes.
5 'Social situations'.
6 С
7 D
8 A
9 В
10 TRUE
11 FALSE
12 TRUE
13 NOT GIVEN
14 С
15 D
16 В
17 E
18 A
19 E
20 F
Reading Unit 9
1 Course-related situations.
2 750 maximum.
3 Student accommodation,
4 One - Sturtin Hostel.
5 567233
6 876333
7 322756
8 223300
9 567233
10 ii
11 v
12 i
13 vii
14 viii
Supplementary activity
15 Sturtin Hostel
16 Highdown House
17 First Stop
18 Three Seasons
19 Downtown Digs
Writing Unit 1
Suggested answers
1 ... an equal amount of money on
entertainment and clothes.
2 ... but she only spends 25% of her
money on study materials.
3 ... less on clothes than she spends ...
4 ... almost as much ...
5 43% of//Just under half of
6 used to smoke
7 (relatively) small percentage/minority
8 heavier smokers
9 The percentage (NOT 'number']
10 are similar/are close to 11%
Writing Unit 2
1 The rise/growth in the number of
overseas students at a university over
a twenty-year period.
2 The number of overseas students
studying at the university has risen
considerably.
The graph shows a considerable
increase in...
It gives a more accurate description.
3b a steady rise/a gradual increase
с a stable/constant pattern
d a peak
e a dramatic increase/a sharp rise
f a gradual decrease/fall
4b ... rises steadily
с ... remains constant
d ... reaches a peak
e ... increases dramatically/rises sharply
f ... falls/decreases gradually
5 People (car owners),
6 Years.
7 Car owners in millions.
8 Car ownership in Britain has risen
dramatically.
9a ... has risen ...
b ... rose ...
10a Since 1960, the number of car owners
in Britain has risen dramatically from
below 2 million to 25 million.
b The number of car owners in Britain
rose dramatically from under 2 million
in 1960 to 25 million in 2000.
11 Between 1980 and 1998, the number of
students at the University rose
considerably from just over 200 to 800.
Answer Key
12a The first graph shows the number of
grocery stores that closed in Britain
(in thousands) between 1961 and 1995.
Between 1961 and 1971 there was a
steep fall in the number of grocery
stores closing in Britain and then a
gradual fall until 1980. Very few stores
closed between then and 1995.
12b The second graph shows the increase
in the types of products sold at
supermarkets between 1950 and 1995.
The types of products stocked
increased significantly from 550 to
19000 between 1950 and 1995.
12c The third graph shows the growth of
supermarkets in Britain between 1985
and 1996.
During this time there was a steady
growth in the number of supermarkets
from 400 to 1000.
13 The number of hamburgers sold at
Harry's over a one-year period.
14 The pattern is variable.
15 To get a clear picture of the trend in
sales over the year.
16 The simple past tense.
17 Suggested answers
a The sale of hamburgers was stable throughout
January, February and most of March,
b Fewer hamburgers were sold in April than
in March according to this graph.
с There was a dramatic rise in the sale of
hamburgers between June and August
when numbers increased from 1900 to
3000.
d Hamburger sales peaked in August when
3000 were sold.
e The lowest sales of hamburgers were in
October when they dropped to 1250 for
the month,
f Hamburgers were more popular in
summer than in winter according to this
graph.
Model answer for the Follow-up activity on
page 72
The graph shows the fluctuation in the
number of people at a London underground
station over the course of a day. According to
the graph there is a sharp increase between
6.00 and 8.00 in me morning, with 400 people
using the station at 8 o'clock. After this, the
numbers fall dramatically to less than 200 at
10 o'clock. Between 11.00 and 3.00 the
number of people rises and falls evenly with a
plateau around lunchtime of just under 300
people using the station. Numbers then
decline, with the lowest number being
recorded at 4,00 in the afternoon. There is
then a rapid rise between 4.00 and 6pm
during the evening rush hour with a peak of
380 people at 6 pm. After 7 pm numbers fall
significantly, with only a slight increase again
just after 8 pm, tailing off after 9 pm. The
graph shows that the station is most crowded
in the early morning and early evening rushhour
periods.
Writing Unit 3
Suggested answers
1 The graph shows the increase in the
number of mobile phone owners in
Europe between 1995 and 2000.
2 Overall, the number of (mobile phone)
owners has risen considerably since
1995. In some countries the figure has
more than doubled over the five years.
3 In France, for example, the number of
(mobile phone) owners has increased
sevenfold from one million in 1995 to
seven million in 2000.
4 In 1995, the UK had the greatest
number of owners at just under five
million and this figure increased to
12 million in 2000.
5 The greatest number of mobile phone
owners is now in Germany, where
ownership has risen from four million
in 1995 to 14 million in 2000.
6 faster/better/more successful than
7 narrowest/smallest
8 while/whereas
9 less
10 difference
Writing Unit 4
1 Suggested answer - some words and
phrases have been italicised for discussion,
The diagram illustrates how a new
dredging boat will be used in the future to
drain canals in Venice of mud.
The boat will carry a suction pump with
rotating blades on the end of it which will
be lowered into the canal by two hydraulic
arms. These rotating blades will stir up the
mud, called slurry, on the bottom of the
canal and this will then be sucked up by
the centrifugal pump. From the pump, the
mud will be discharged through a large
tube into a shuttle boat located behind the
Answer Key
dredging boat. When the shuttle boat \$
full of mud, it will be towed out of the city
and the mud will be dumped.
Writing Unit 5
1 explaining, tell, ask
2 What you, as the writer, wish to express,
e.g. a suggestion, a complaint, an
invitation, a request, an apology plus the
desired outcome.
3 Poor style, rambling, not getting to the
point, not stating your purpose clearly,
being rude or offensive.
4 To complain and get a refund or similar
recompense.
5 Formal, polite.
6 Less formally and possibly without
reference initially to the purpose of the
letter e.g. 'I've been meaning to write to
you ...' or simply I'm terribly sorry'
Example answers
7 1 am writing with reference to the bill
you sent me ...
8 I hope you're not busy on ...
9 I have applied for a new job and I
wonder if you would be kind enough
to...
10 I recently paid you $400 to do some
repair work on my car.
Writing Unit 6
1 Disappointment, anger, surprise, shock,
etc.
2 They are rather informal, very direct and
many of them would seem offensive or
rude.
3 They might be offended and react in a
hostile or uncooperative way.
A model answer to GT Writing Task 1 is given
on page 186.
Writing Unit 7
1 At least 250.
2 About 40 minutes.
3 Argumentative/discursive/descriptive.
4 Reasons (GT); examples and evidence
(Academic).
5 Good organisation, clear ideas that
directly address the topic, coherent
argument, accurate and appropriate
structures and vocabulary, good
punctuation and spelling.
6 a possible; с; е possible; f possible; g; i
Writing Unit 8
1 The writer should be able to follow the
development of the argument
throughout the answer.
2 Selecting main ideas and developing
support,
3 Some will be expanded, some will be
discarded,
4 The main areas/ideas to be developed.
(This is why the introduction does not
come first in this unit.)
5 Roughly a fifth of the answer, i.e. 30-60
words - keep a balance with other parts,
6 Five minutes.
7 By starting a new paragraph.
8 What is meant by...
How can you judge ...
How do you measure...
9 Generally, I agree with the argument
that...
I tend to disagree...
I am unconvinced by...
10 Example answer
It has been argued that if you treat all
staff at work equally, you will improve
the success of your company. But how
can you make every employee feel
valued and will this really make a
company more successful? By
addressing these questions, I intend to
show that this argument is unrealistic
and makes too many assumptions about
human behaviour.
11 30-50 words - conclusions are often
shorter than introductions because our
ideas can be summed up quite easily,
although this doesn't have to be the
case.
12 By starting a new paragraph.
A model answer to the writing task on the
topic of immunisation is given on page 185.
Writing Unit 9
1 Very strong - NB use of convinced,
essential, largely, overall, only
2 By looking at positive approaches to
examinations.
By examining the benefits of
examinations.
Answer Key
Supplementary activity
Suggested answers
3 in favour of
4 In other words/In this way
5 I would argue that/Certainly
6 Admittedly/In some ways
7 honestly don't think/doubt
8 think/believe (that)
9 Surely/Arguably/Either way/In any case
Writing Unit 10
1 No.
2 It lacks coherence. It's rather chatty. There
is a mix of arguments with little support.
3 Something like: In the past
neighbourhoods were often very close,
friendly places whereas in today's society
people have little time to get to know
each other. How does this affect our sense
of belonging to a community?
4 Main argument - good neighbour
relations are advantageous
Supporting argument - examples of good
and poor relations today
5 Examples and personal experience.
6 for example/instance; If this is the case
7 In fact/Indeed; Of course/Naturally
8 In my experience
9 for example/in fact/indeed
Supplementary activity
A model answer to GT Writing Task 2 is given
on page 186.
Writing Unit 11
1 This drop/fall
2 These figures
3 these/such qualities
Suggested answer
There is always some controversy over
whether it is important to spend large sums
of money on medical research or whether
more of this money should be directed
towards treating patients. Obviously some
medical research is essential. Without it, we
would have no vaccinations against diseases
such as polio, no drugs such as antibiotics
and no treatments like x-rays or
radiotherapy. Nevertheless, the field of
medical research is very competitive and
this has financial disadvantages. Take, for
example, the current research being
conducted on the HIV virus. In this field it is
arguable that money is being wasted in, that
scientists throughout the world are working
independently towards the same ultimate
goal - to find a cure for AIDS - and with the
same hope of becoming famous in the
process. Surely it would be more productive
and less costly if these scientists joined
forces and an international research team
was set up with joint international funding.
5 The graph shows that the number of
students In higher education in the UK
has risen over the past five years.
6 40 per cent of students said they
expected to earn around £21,000 when
they start work, while only 2 per cent
expected a salary of £40,000 or more,
7 A typical British town has a population
of 180,000 and a police force of 2500
officers, yet (of these) there are only
10 officers patrolling the streets at any
one time.
8 Drink-driving laws vary from country
to country; for example, in Poland it is
illegal to drive with more than 20 mg of
alcohol in your blood, while in Italy the
figure is 80 mg.
9 In France, the percentage of one-person
households has risen over the past
10 years from 27 per cent in 1989 to
30 per cent in 1999.
10 55,000 students enrolled in the Biological
Sciences this year, which is an increase
(over last year) of nine per cent and marks
the biggest change in the enrolment of
students in first-degree courses.
Suggested answer
11 A sample of one hundred people were
interviewed at random about their views
on the Internet. While the majority of
those interviewed had heard of the
computer facility, relatively few knew
how to use it and only 20 per cent of the
sample had access to it. In most cases,
those who said they could use the
Internet were students or were, not
surprisingly, under 40 years of age. The
minority who had not even heard of it
tended to be 60 years old or more.
Overall it was felt that the sample was
representative of the general population.
Answer Key
Writing UnitB Academic Writing Task 2 Model Answers -Opposing points of view
Should parents be obliged to immunise their children against common Band 9 answer
childhood diseases? Or do individuals have the right to choose not to
immunise their children?
Some people argue that the state does not have the right to make parents
immunise their children. However, I feel the question is not whether they should
immunise but whether, as members of society, they have the right not to.
Preventative medicine has proved to be the most effective way of reducing
the incidence of fatal childhood diseases. As a result of the widespread
practice of immunising young children in our society, many lives have been
saved and the diseases have been reduced to almost zero.
In previous centuries children died from ordinary illnesses such as
influenza and tuberculosis and because few people had immunity, the
diseases spread easily. Diseases such as dysentery were the result of poor
hygiene but these have long been eradicated since the arrival of good
sanitation and clean water. Nobody would suggest that we should reverse
this good practice now because dysentery has been wiped out.
Serious diseases such as polio and smallpox have also been eradicated
through national immunisation programmes. In consequence, children not
immunised are far less at risk in this disease-free society than they would
otherwise be. Parents choosing not to immunise are relying on the fact that
the diseases have already been eradicated. If the number of parents choosing
not to immunise increased, there would be a similar increase in the risk of
the diseases returning.
Immunisation is not an issue like seatbelts which affects only the individual.
A decision not to immunise will have widespread repercussions for the whole
of society and for this reason, I do not believe that individuals have the right to
stand aside. In my opinion immunisation should be obligatory.
The issue of whether we should force parents to immunise their children
against common diseases is, in my opinion, a social rather than a medical
question. Since we are free to choose what we expose our bodies to in the
way of food, drink, or religion for that matter, why should the question of
medical 'treatment' be any different?
Medical researchers and governments are primarily interested in overall
statistics and trends and in money-saving schemes which fail to take into
consideration the individual's concerns and rights. While immunisation
against diseases such as tetanus and whooping cough may be effective, little
information is released about the harmful effects of vaccinations which can
sometimes result in stunted growth or even death.
The body is designed to resist disease and to create its own natural
immunity through contact with that disease. So when children are given
artificial immunity, we create a vulnerable society which is entirely dependent
on immunisation. In the event that mass immunisation programmes were to
cease, the society as a whole would be more at risk than ever before.
In addition there is the issue of the rights of the individual. As members of
a society, why should we be obliged to subject our children to this potentially
harmful practice? Some people may also be against immunisation on
religious grounds and their needs must also be considered.
For these reasons I feel strongly that immunisation programmes should
not be obligatory and that the individual should have the right to choose
whether or not to participate.
Introduction restates the question
posed in the task.
Definitive statement
clarifying the writer's opinion,
with examples.
Comparison with historical
background to support argument.
Supporting argument with
examples.
Supporting evidence for argument
in favour of immunisation with
examples.
Conclusion and statement of
personal opinion.
274 words
Band 9 answer
Introduction - poses a new
question to introduce the topic.
Main argument
Concessional argument
in support with example
Writer's opinion stated plainly
and forcefully-as fact.
Main idea with supporting
arguments
Personal opinion to sum up,
Restatement of original question
in own words.
252 words
Answer Key
Writing Unit 6 Model answer for GT Writing Task 1
You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You have decided that you
would like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city.
Write to your friend explaining what you would like to do. Tell him/her
what type of work or studies you have been doing for the past few years and
ask for assistance in contacting an appropriate institution,
Dear Anita
Sorry I haven't written for ages. I've been so busy over the last year and I
never seem to have a minute to myself.
I'd like to study electrical engineering at university in Australia next year and
I hope you can give me some advice. I think I would prefer Melbourne
because I know a few people from my visit last year.
This year I'm doing maths and physics at school and I hope to do well in my
exams. However, I really don't know which university to apply to, so could
you send me some information about different colleges? Also can you find
out what qualifications I need? For instance, as an overseas student, do I
have to take an English test?
I hope you don't mind doing this for me. It is much better to get this information
from someone who lives in the country, so I hope to hear from you soon.
Many thanks,
Rosanna
Writing Unit 10 Model answer for Supplementary activity,
GT Writing Task 2
Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who
are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer.
There is no doubt that some students in schools behave badly and their
behaviour causes difficulty for others either because it has a negative effect
on the group or because ordinary students find it difficult to study with them.
One solution is to take these students away and teach them on their own.
However, if we simply have them removed after one or two warnings, we are
limiting their educational opportunities because it seems to me that a school
which caters for difficult students is a sort of "prison" whatever name you
give it and the people who go there may never recover from the experience.
This can then cause problems for the wider society.
Perhaps we need to look at why the disruptive students behave badly
before we separate them. Disruptive students may be very intelligent and
find the classes boring because the work is too easy. Perhaps these students
need extra lessons rather than separate lessons. Or perhaps the teachers are
uninspiring and this results in behavioural problems so we need better
teachers. On the other hand, most students put up with this situation rather
than cause trouble, and some people argue that we have to learn to suffer
bad teachers and boring situations and that students who can't learn this
lesson need to be taught separately.
So before we condemn the students to a special school, we should look at
factors such as the teaching, because once the children have been separated,
it is very unlikely that they will be brought back.
Band 9 answer
Informal introduction
Purpose of letter. Inclusion of
some original information.
Answers the second part of the
task, giving background
information to the situation.
Poses a new question and
answers the third part of the task.
Closing paragraph - repeats the
request in anticipation of a response.
161 words
Band 9 answer
First paragraph agrees in part with
the proposition in the question and
builds on it to form an introduction.
Second paragraph outlines a
problem arising from the solution
offered in the question and poses
a new problem.
Third paragraph looks at possible
reasons why students may behave
badly and suggests other solutions
from the one in the question.
A counter argument is put forward
for balance.
Fourth paragraph sums up the
suggestions in third paragraph and
suggests further investigation.
255 words
Answer Key
Speaking Unit 1
More practice for part 1
Sample answers - others may be possible
1 It is very important for me to learn
English because I want to get an
interesting job in the tourist industry and
it'll be much easier if I have good English.
2 1 work as a bank teller in a bank, which
can be a bit boring as many people do
their banking by telephone or on the
Internet now.
3 Tennis is a wonderful game, but you have
to be very determined to play it well. I
enjoy playing tennis as well as watching it.
4 At the moment I live in a very small
apartment, but I would like to have a
larger one. Hopefully I will, one day.
5 Take-away food is very popular in many
countries these days even though it is
bad for our health. I think cooking at
home is more sensible because takeaway
food is expensive.
6 It was impossible to know everyone at
my school because it was very large, and
there were hundreds of children. I didn't
even know all the teachers.
7 I love movies and I like watching TV. But
I don't like live theatre, or opera either.
8 I swim to keep fit, which I think is very
important, especially while I'm studying.
Unless you work to keep fit, you run the
risk of getting ill, and it's very difficult to
study if you're not well.
Speaking Unit 2
Explaining how you feel - now and
then
Sample answers - others may he possible
The reason why I enjoy eating out is that
you don't have to do any washing up.
One of the good things about working from
home is being able to organise your time
as you like.
One of the bad things about living in the
city centre is not being able to park your
car very easily.
One of the problems with working abroad is
that you can't see your family as often as
you'd like to.
Giving short answers to the follow-up
questions
1 Yes, there were. /No, there weren't. Yes, I
t h i n k there were. /.No, I don't think there
were,
2 Yes, it is, /No, it isn't. Yes, I think it is.
/No, I don't think it is.
3 Yes, I am. /No, I'm not. Yes, I think I am.
/No, I don't think I am.
4 Yes, I did. /No, I didn't. Yes, I think I did.
/No, I don't think I did.
5 Yes, I had. /No, I hadn't.
6 Yes, I will. /No, I won't. Yes, I think I will.
/ No, I don't think I will.
7 Yes, I can. /No, I can't.
8 Yes, I am. /No, I'm not. Yes, I think I am.
/No, I don't think I am,
Speaking Unit 3
Links to the sub-theme
1 Work and Housing
2 Architecture
3 Work and Housing
4 The role of the State
5 Architecture
6 The role of the State
7 Architecture
Practice Test
Listening Section 1
1 В
2 A
3 not big enough//too small
4 too expensive / / $400 a week
5 reasonably priced // $250 a week //
cheap
6 14a Station Road
7 C/E
8 E/C
9 B/D
10 D/B
Listening Section 2
11 medicine // medicinal purposes
12 China AND India
13 a good price/(a) lot of money
14 (early) 20th century
15 perfect/ideal (conditions)
Answer Key
16 production cost(s) //cost of production
17 Second World War//WWII
18 25
19 14 tons/tonnes
20 (used in) Australia // used locally
Listening Section 3
21 human activity//humans
22 get warmer
23 influences
24 earth's temperature
25 (the) oceans
26 engines
27 (in) space, (in) orbit, above us/the Earth
in
any
order
Listening Section 4
31 developing countries
32 (large) African birds // (Mauritius)
falcons
33 reptile house
34 animals
35 (the) English (language)
36 (animal) conservation
37 (zoo) keepers
38 (over) 350
39 Chinese student
40 (present) Conservation Officer
Academic Reading Section 1
in
any
order
4 rigs and/or tanks
5 fish stocks
6 physical obstacles
7 concrete
8 commercial
9 Japan
10 sea [grass) beds/floor/bottom
11 bamboo and coconuts
12 management (control)
13 С
Academic Reading Section 2
14 iii
15 vii
16 i
17 ix
18 vi
19 ii
20 NO
21 YES
22 YES
23 NOT GIVEN
24 NO
25 adolescents
26 1955
27 Virginia Slims
Academic Reading Section 3
28 С
29 D
30 В
31 В
32 A
33 D
34 E
35 doubled
36 dropped
37 less
38 no
39 slightly
40 reversed
General Training Reading Section 1
1 F
2 A
3 В
4 D
5 FALSE
6 NOT GIVEN
7 FALSE
8 FALSE
9 TRUE
10 vii
11 vi
12 ii
13 iii
14 iv
General Training Reading Section 2
15 A
16 С
17 TRUE
18 NOT GIVEN
19 TRUE
10 to 15 4
16 to 22 5
23 to 28 6 31 composition Score Band score
32 layer 1 to2 1
33 sound 3 to 5 2
34 (auburn-red/rich) varnish 5 to 11 3
35 maple and spruce 12 to 17 4
36 minerals 18 to 25 5
37 £4 26 to 34 6
38 volcanic ash 35 to 37 7
39 their thickness 38 to 39 8
40 (a) perfect balance // a combination of 40 9
factors
Assessing your results
Give yourself one point for each correct
answer. Add up your scores out of 40 for
Listening and Reading and look at the table
on page 189 to see what IELTS band score
you would have achieved.
IELTS Band Scores
Listening
Score Band score
1 1
2 to 3 2
4 to 9 3
10 to 16 4
17 to 24 5
25 to 32 6
33 to 37 7
38 to 39 8
40 9
IELTS Listening Answer Sheet
© UCLES/K&J You may photocopy this page.
. Etfnd Score Reading Total
Acknowledgements
The authors and publishers would like to thank the
teachers and students who trialled and
commented on the material:
Australia: Lynn Banbrook, Pauline Cullen, Carolyn
Watts, Katie Dunworth; Greece: Annette Obee;
Japan: Miles Craven; Malaysia: A. Sundram;
Thailand: Dennis Derkeime, Bette Bowling, Paul
Wallis; UK: Anthea Bazin, Jan Farndale, Don Hassett,
Pat O'Sullivan, Carolyn Walker, Buddug Temple
The authors and publisher are grateful to the
following for permission to use copyright material
in Insight into IELTS. While every effort has been
made, it has not been possible to identify the
sources of all the material used and in such cases
the publishers would welcome information from
the copyright owners:
The Geographical Magazine for the extract on
pp, 29-30 and 38 from 'The Dynamic Continent' by
Adrian Fox and Janet Taylor, The Geographical
Magazine Dec 1995, for the article on p. 49
'Penguins show signs of stress' by Frank
Nowikowski, The Geographical Magazine October
1995 and for the extract on pp. 133-4 from
'Industrial Revolution' by Claire Hutchings, The
Geographical Magazine Way 1996; Sir John
Houghton for the extract on p. 30 from 'Why we
must be stewards of our soil', published in The
Independent, 2 Mar 1996; Independent Newspapers
for extracts a) and c) on p. 56 from 'When an
elephant gets emotional' by Hugh Aldersley
Williams; Focus Magazine for the extract on p. 31
from 'The undersea world of sound' by Peter Evans,
Focus April 1995, for the extract on p. 34 from
'Sifting through the sands of time' by Carol
Muskoron and Piers Alder, Foemjuly 1994, and for
the extract on pp. 153-4 from '300-year-old secrets
of Stradivarius' by Julian Brown, Focus July 1994;
Curtis Brown on behalf of David Lodge for the
extracts on pp. 32 and 53-54 from The Practice of
Writingby David Lodge, published by Seeker &
Warburg, copyright © 1996; The Times for the extract
on p. 35 from 'Divers speed hunt for ruins of Pharos
lighthouse' by Christopher Walker from The Times,
21 July 1995, © Times Newspapers Limited 1995,
and for the extract on p. 40 from 'Salty rice plant
boosts harvests' by Sean Hargrave from The Sunday
Times, 26 January 1997, © Times Newspapers
Limited 1997 and for the extract on pp. 46-7 from
'Prehistoric insects spawn new drugs' by Steve
Connor, Tiie Sunday Times, 1 September 1996,
© Times Newspapers Limited 1996 and for the
diagram on p. 74, © John Smith/The Sunday Times,
1st June 1996; BBC Wildlife Magazine for the article
on p. 37 'Baby Love' by Angela Turner, BBC Wildlife
Magazine, March 1996; Robert Nurden for the
extract on p. 65 from 'Visit to student fair is vital
homework' published in The European, 20 March
1997; Hallmark Editions for the extract on pp. 44-5
from 'Australia's first commercial wind farm',
published in GEO, vol. 17, no. 6, Nov/Dec 1995;
Runner's World for the extracts on p. 61 from 'Six of
the best rain jackets', Runner's WorldDec 1995; New
Scientist for the extract on p. 51 from Australia's
growing disaster' by Ian Anderson, New Scientist2$
July 1995; Verdict Research Limited for graphs 12 a)
and 12 c) on p. 71, ©Verdict Research Limited 1998;
The Policy Studies Institute, University of
Westminster Press for the graph at the top of p. 74;
The Guardian for the graph on p. 75 from The
Guardian, 30 September 1997; Cambridge
University Press for listening material in Unit 7,
Extract 2, derived from Tfie Cambridge Encyclopedia
of Language, © Cambridge University Press 1997;
the exercise on pp. 151-2 is based on information
that appeared in the program for the University of
Sydney's Courses and Careers Day in 1997; Buderim
Ginger for information used on pp. 129-30,
Gerrit Buntrock for p. 37. Christies Images for
p. 153. Bruce Coleman Collection/Jens Rydell for
p. 44. The Guardian/Jenny Ridley for p. 77. The
Orion Publishing Group Ltd for p. 56. Tony Stone
Images/ Chuck Davis for p. 31, /Stephen Frinkfor
p. 133, /Howard Grey for p. 47, /Kevin Schafer for
p. 49. Max Glaskin/fhe Sunday Times 1996 for
p. 76. SYGMA/Jacques Delacour for p, 34. Telegraph
Colour Library/John Lythgoe for p. 40. The photo
of the artificial reef on p. 133 is © Southampton
Oceanography Centre/Dr Anthony Jensen.
The photos on pp, 56 and 58 were taken on
commission by Trevor Clifford, and those on pp. 7,
28, 66,96,100 and 103 by Gareth Boden and
Rebecca Watson.
Illustrated by Kathy Baxendale: pp. 10, 79,122,
126; Nick Duffy: pp. 14, 97; Gecko DTP: pp. 11,20,
67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 144, 147;
Amanda McPhail: Icons; Martin Sanders: pp. 24,
36, 156; Jamie Sneddon: pp. 12, 13, 22, 107, 115,
116,117, 129,146, 149,151; Sam Thompson: pp. 8,
15,127; Kath Walker: p. 17; Celia Witchard: p. 99.
Produced by Gecko Ltd
The cassette recording was produced by Martin
Williamson at Studio AVP London
VANESSA JAKE MAN AND CLARE MCDOWELL
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