A Book for IELTS (2nd Edition)

220 Pages·6.464 MB·English

by  McCarter Sam.

Preface
This is a self-study publication with two audio-cassettes for students preparing for
the Academic Module of the International English Language Testing System
(IELTS), which is administered by The British Council, the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) and by IELTS Australia.
The book covers the four modules of the IELTS exam: listening, reading, writing and
speaking. Special features of the book are: the reading exercises, the detailed Keys
for these exercises, the wide range of exercises to help you prepare for Writing Task
1, and the detailed Key for the Reading Tests.
The publication may also be used as a course book, or as a supplement to a course
book.
So that you may repeat the exercises in this book, we would advise you to avoid
marking the text.
This new edition incorporates the changes to the speaking module introduced in
July 2001.
Sam McCarter, Julie Easton and Judith Ash
2003
Contents
Page
Preface iii
Acknowledgements iv
Listening Module 1
Introduction 2
Listening Test 1 3
Listening Test 2 9
Listening Test 3 15
Listening Test 4 20
Reading Exercises 25
Introduction 26
1. How to read, or how to read efficiently? 28
2. Learning to read organisation 29
3. More about reading organisation 30
4. A summary of functions 31
5. Recognising paragraph types 32
6. Simultaneous functions 34
7. Reading control 35
8. Spot the difference! 36
9. Learning to concentrate 37
10. Predicting organisation 1 38
11. Predicting organisation 2 39
12. Focus on paragraph headings 40
13. Foreground and background information 42
14. Increasing your reading speed - 43
15. More about speed 45
16. Words that slow you down 47
17. Problems with meaning 48
18. An introduction to Yes 50
19. An introduction to No 51
20. Meaning in a text 52
21. Yes, No or Not Given 1? 53
22. Yes, No or Not Given 2? 54
Reading Tests
Test 1 56
Test 2 66
Test 3 75
Test 4 83
Section on Writing 91
Introduction 92
Graphs and diagrams for Task 1
1. Looking for patterns 94
2. Language graphs 98
3. Which chart? 100
v
4. A maze in graph form 102
5. Draw your own graph 103
6. Graph comprehension 104
7. Improving a text 105
8. The language of comparison and contrast 106
9. Graphs and charts combined 108
10. It is predicted that... 110
11. More comparison and contrast 112
12. More complex terms ■ 114
13. Some common language mistakes 116
14. How many correct sentences are there? , 117
15. Questionnaire 1 ; - 118
16. Questionnaire 2 120
17. Tables 122
18. Map language and verb tenses 123
19. Process language 125
20. The process of making a newspaper 126
Essay writing for Task 2
21. Understanding essay titles 128
22. Plans for essays 130
23. Same general subject - different focus 132
24. A model essay 134
Writing Tests
Test 1 135
Test 2 136
Test 3 137
Section on Speaking 139
Introduction 140
1. Eliciting information 141
2. Example of extended discourse No.1 145
3. Example of extended discourse No.2 147
4. Your future plans 148
5. Put meaning into your future 149
Keys
Listening Tests 151
Reading Exercises 167
Reading Tests 179
Writing - Graphs and Diagrams 203
Writing - Essays 210
Writing-Tests 211
Speaking * 213
About the authors
Sam McCarter is a lecturer in academic and medical English at Southwark College,
where he organises IELTS courses for overseas doctors and other health personnel,
and courses in medical English - including preparation for the OSCE component of the
PLAB.
Sam is also the creator and organiser of the Nuffield Self-access Language Project for
Overseas Doctors and works as a freelance consultant in medical English specialising
in tropical medicine.
Julie Easton is a lecturer in academic and medical English at Southwark College,
teaching on courses preparing doctors for the IELTS and the OSCE. Julie has
considerable experience in both areas.
Judith Ash is a former lecturer in academic and medical English at Southwark
College. She now writes freelance and is working on distance learning programmes for
IELTS.
About Southwark College
Southwark College has an international reputation as a centre for teaching IELTS and
medical English. The College is situated in the centre of London.
Telephone: [phone] and Fax: [phone].
Listening Module
Introduction §
Practice Tests I -4
1
A book for IELTS
Listening Practice Tests
Introduction to the Listening Module
In the IELTS exam, the Listening Test forms the first part of the exam and lasts for about 30 minutes.
In each test, there are four main sections, for which you have to answer a total of approximately 40 questions.
Each main section is divided into two and, sometimes, three sub-sections. Before each of these sub-sections,
you have time to read the questions and you are advised to write your answers in the question booklet. At
the end of each section, you have half a minute to check your answers.
At the end of the full listening test, you have 10 minutes to transfer your answers^to the Answer Sheet. Usually,
the listening exercises become more difficult as you move from Sections 1 to 4.
You will hear the test only ONCE.
- A
The range of question types may include the following: ; 5
- multiple choice questions
- short-answer questions
- sentence completion
- summary/notes/flow chart/diagram/table completion
- labelling a diagram which has numbered parts
- matching
Situations The first two sections are usually of a social nature. Section 1 usually contains a conversation, e.g.
between two people in a shop, and Section 2 a monologue, e.g. a radio broadcast or a talk. Section
3 is usually a conversation in an educational or training context, e.g. a tutorial about a particular
subject. In this section, there can be up to four speakers. Section 4 is a monologue, such as a
lecture or talk on a subject of general academic interest.
It is important to remember that the test is designed to test your listening comprehension skills. The
answers to all of the questions are on the tape. You do not need any knowledge of the topic to be
able to answer the questions.
Answer sheet After the end of the tape, ten minutes are given for you to transfer your answers to the Answer
Sheet.
Hints on listening Common problem areas with this part of the IELTS exam include the following:
Misreading It is important that you read all the instructions very carefully so that you are clear about what is
instructions required for the answer to each of the questions. The instructions are usually clear and easy to
follow, and an example is given in some cases.
It is worth pointing out here that candidates often fail to read the instructions carefully or just glance
at them. Students rely on the fact that the instructions are exactly the same in the Test as they are
in the textbook(s) they have been practising with.
Changing Sometimes, the speaker may give a piece of information and then change his or her mind. So
always watch out for this.
Anticipation/ When you are speaking to people normally in your own language, it is possible to predict what the
prediction person you are talking to is going to say. It is easier in this situation to do so, because you are part
of the conversation and know the context. When you are just listening, it is just a little harder,
because you are not actively involved in developing the context. However, you can do it with just
a little extra concentration.
■*+
Concentration It is important to concentrate from the beginning. Some candidates think that the first section is
going to be easy and do not listen carefully enough. They miss a few answers which affects their
final score. If you are aiming for a high score, like a 7 or a 7.5 you should be aiming to answer all
the questions in the first two sections correctly, as they are the easiest.
Practice If you do not have access to many IELTS textbooks to practise, use listening exercises from the
other Cambridge exams, e.g. for the First Certificate and the Cambridge Advanced. The listening
exercises are not the same but they give you similar practice. Also listen to the radio and watch
TV, and if possible speak to people in English.
2 A book for IELTS
Listening
Practice Tests
Practice Test 1: Section 1
Complete the Account Details using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each blank space.
Account Details
Example:
Account holder: No
Discount offered.
First year students: (1) ■
Name: Nasreen (2)
Address: (3) Mansions,
Compton Street, London.
Postcode: SE (4)
Telephone number: 0181 (5)
Questions 6-8
Put a tick in the spaces below, if the information is correct. Or fill in the blank with the correct information, if
it is wrong. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Example ^ ______ 7_______________
Physics in the Age Experimental
of Science
Technology
j£29^50^>o
A Stern
,l_yT OSutotc Okf £ Simon Blair
y & Violet Boyd
6____________ 8.
S- = A'-- - /
Mathematics in Physics for the first
Physics year student
\ £27.95^> j £2<r^>
Professor I Lovatt A Laska
/
A book for IELTS 3
Listening Practice Tests
Questions 9 & 10
Circle the appropriate letter.
9. To collect the books the student must bring
A three forms of identification.
B two forms of identification.
C one form of identification.
D two forms of identification and the university confirmation letter.
10. The books will be kept
A in the Chemistry Department in the basement.
B in the Physics Department in the baserrfent.
C in the Physics Department on the first floor.
D in the Maths Department in the basement.
4 A book for IELTS
Listening
Practice Tests
Practice Test 1: Section 2
Circle the appropriate letter.
11. There are__________________________ student counsellors at the university.
A six B four C five D three
12. The speaker has come to talk about the____________________ .
A Student Union B Student Welfare Service
C student health D Student Accommodation Service
13. The number of main sites is ...
A three B four C five D six
14. Where on this site is the student
counsellor’s office?
Questions 15-20
Complete the notes below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
15. The information leaflet is available almost____________________ .
16. The Helpline in the evenings and weekends is dependent on the____________
17. The Helpline is staffed at the weekends for____________________ .
18. Students contact the Student Welfare Service for a___________________ .
19. If the counsellors cannot help you, they will put you in touch with____________
20. The Service gives____________________to all volunteers on the Helpline.
A book for IELTS 5