Freedom from IELTS Reading & Writing Successful Strategies & Practice Tests Michele Elkan Freedom from IELTS Reading & Writing All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2014 Michele Elkan This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews Booktango books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: Booktango 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.booktango.com 877-445-8822 ISBN: 978-1-4689-4393-1 (ebook) Table of Contents Strategies to Freedom Academic and General Reading Tips Academic Task Writing Tips General Task Writing Tips Academic and General Writing Task Tips Academic Practice Reading Tests Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test Academic Reading Test General Practice Reading Tests General Reading Test SECTION General Reading Test General Reading Test General Reading Test General Reading Test General Reading Test General Reading Test Answer Key Academic Reading Tests Answers General Reading Tests Answers Resources Sample Writing Task with Answers More Essay topics Linking words Common Lines Academic Writing Task Test Test Test Test Test Test General Writing Task Test Test Test Common Letters for Practice (Start with Dear Sir,) Acknowledgements About the Author Sensible Quotes for Inspiratio Introduction Welcome to Freedom from IELTS Reading and Writing The IELTS test preparation book has all you need to achieve your desired score It has been written for candidates who require professional registration, college/university admission, or for immigration purposes It is designed for independent and flexible self-study, with a focus on reading and writing skills Freedom from IELTS Reading and Writing is not officially approved by IELTS We recommend students to read “Freedom from IELTS Reading and Writing” to guarantee success in both the challenging modules This study guide, with proven strategies, will empower students to PASS the test in ONE time Further information about the IELTS exam can be obtained from the IELTS website www.ielts.org How is the book organised? The book starts with various Strategies to be applied for the reading and writing modules The sample writing answers provided range from 6-8 band However, please note that this is just an example out of many possible approaches The Resources section provides sample essays, linking words and common lines to write in the essays Seven individual academic and general reading tests with answers and Academic and General writing tasks with answers will help students with their practice These tests increase in their level of difficulty as in the real test Additional study materials, individual modular based course guides, and model writing tasks can be obtained by sending an email to michele@englishtesthelp.com DON’T PLAY IN THE BLIND – GET YOUR WRITING CHECKED! Send an email to michele@englishtesthelp.com to get your writing task thoroughly checked and receive detail feedback and score to improve your writing skills The author would like to express her sincere gratitude to all international students in Australia who inspired her in writing this preparation book Wish you all success in the IELTS test Strategies to Freedom Academic and General Reading Tips Start reading the questions first Underline MAIN WORDS Look for MAIN WORDS Look for synonyms – two words with the same meaning Once you find the clue/keyword in the passage, the answer will always be lines above/below Focus on every word of the question While finding the answer read the words to the left and right of the keyword False/Not Given: a False: Information is given in the passage but it is wrong/contradictory b Not Given: Information is not clearly given in the passage The question is twisted, some words of the question are similar to the passage and the question is confusing, not clear If the MAIN WORD is not in the passage it is NOT GIVEN Q: The primary role of a teacher is to help students P: The teacher helps students if they need it Headings/Multiple Choice: a The answer will always be in the first/last sentence Don’t see OPTIONS first, see after you find the MAIN WORDS Focus on the question NOT the OPTIONS b When there are two answers to a question, always choose the answer which stresses more on the passage Fill in the blanks: a Concentrate on the word before/after the blank Answers are always in order b Once you find the answer, always read the sentence again and see if it makes sense Use context skills and word-building skills – break the word to understand difficult words Don’t leave blank spaces in the Answer sheet, Guess if you cannot find the answer 10 No scratches, always write in capitals and in clear handwriting 11 Remember the answers are in order of the questions, except for Headings So the first part of the question will be in the first part of the passage and last part at the end 12 Do lots of underlining on the passage and question! • CONCENTRATE ON MAIN WORDS & ORDER • BESIDES HEADINGS ALL ANSWERS ARE IN ORDER/SEQUENCE • WRITE ANSWERS IN CAPITALS FOR LISTENING AND READING Time plan: 20 mins for each Part/Section Academic Task Writing Tips Task – 20 mins – 150 words – ¾ page of A4 size Introduction: Rephrase the question Plan paragraphs: If the grid/diagram has two points separate them in paragraphs Only focus on relevant data or too high/low, dramatically changed or a gradual change Comparison paragraph: Last sentence should be the conclusion Goal is to convert all facts in the diagram to words Be very specific General Task Writing Tips Task – Letter—20 mins – 150-165 words – ¾ page of A4 size Introduction: Rephrase the question – 2-3 sentences Each point is one paragraph (Answer each point in sequence order)– 3-4 sentences Mostly the last point is the conclusion Be very SPECIFIC – give dates, names Write only words per line, presentation and handwriting must be easy to read Always keep the letter POSITIVE & CLEAR Formal letters: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Informal letters: Yours truly, Best wishes, Regards, Start formal letters with: I am writing this letter to… Informal: Hope you are doing well Conclude: I would appreciate… , I look forward to hear from you soon 10 If the question says, begin with Dear Sir or Madam, write exactly the same thing Test The charts below show the main reasons for study among students of different age groups and the amount of support they received from employers Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Answer: The first graph shows that there is a gradual decrease in study for career reasons with age Nearly 80% of students under 26 years, study for their career This percentage gradually declines by 10-20% every decade Only 40% of 40-49yr olds and 18% of over 49yr olds studing for career reasons in late adulthood Conversely, the first graph also shows that study stemming from interest increases with age There are only 10% of under 26yr olds studing out of interest The percentage increases slowly till the beginning of the fourth decade, and increases dramatically in late adulthood Nearly same number of 40-49yr olds study for career and interest However 70% of over 49yr olds study for interest in comparison to 18% studing for career reasons in that age group The second graph shows that employer support is maximum (approximately 60%) for the under 26yr students It drops rapidly to 32% up to the third decade of life, and then increses in late adulthood up to about 44% It is unclear whether employer support is only for career-focused study, but the highest level is for those students who mainly study for career purposes Test The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Underground Railways Systems City Date opened Kilometres of route Passengers per year (in millions) London 1863 394 775 Paris 1900 199 1191 Tokyo 1927 155 1927 Washington DC 1976 126 144 Kyoto 1981 11 45 Los Angeles 2001 28 50 Answer: The table shows the details regarding the underground railway systems in six cities London has the oldest underground railway systems among the six cities It was opened in the year 1863, and it is already lye years old Paris is the second oldest, in which it was opened in the year 1900 This was then followed by the opening of the railway systems in Tokyo, Washington DC and Kyoto Los Angeles has the newest underground railway system, and was only opened in the year 2001 In terms of the size of the railway systems, London, For certain, has the largest underground railway systems It has 394 kilometres of route in total, which is nearly twice as large as the system in Paris Kyoto, in contrast, has the smallest system It only has 11 kilometres of route, which is more than 30 times less than that of London Interestingly, Tokyo, which only has 155 kilometres of route, serves the greatest number of passengers per year, at 1927 millions passengers The system in Paris has the second greatest number of passengers, at 1191 millions passengers per year The smallest underground railway system, Kyoto, serves the smallest number of passengers per year as predicted In conclusion, the underground railway systems in different cities vary a lot in the site of the system, the number of passengers served per year and in the age of the system Test The graph below compares the number of visits to two new music sites on the web Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below Answer: The graph shows people using new music places on the Internet in fifteen days period of time namely personal choice and trendy pop music The overall trend shows fluctuation with slight Increased towards the end of the period Starting with Music Choice websites; 40,000 poeple went on this new site on first-day Half of them backed out the next day In Contrast to this Pop Parade net sites were visited by 120,000 music lovers on day one which decreased slightly on the next day thereafter regaining the same fame on 3rd day After 3rd day the enthusiasm for both music lines on Internet dropped slowly—reaching maximum fall of 40,000 on 7th day Whereas Music choice gained popularity, slightly Improoving to get the original strength of 30,000 viewers on screen, but was getting still less visiters than their opponent Pop group i.e 40,000 on day In the biegining of the next week both gained remarkable recovery after a few fluctuations for 8th and 9th day having 40,000 and 50,000 visiters respectively, reaching to their peaks of one and a half thousand new viewers for Pop Parade on 11th day showing a contrast of very few people visiting Music choice for the same day Thereafter Music choice gained popularity on 12th day for having more than 120,000 new visiters on web In the end of the period Pop sites were visited by maximum viewers of 180,000 whereas sites located to Music choice were not explored by more than 80,000 explorers on the last day of the report Test The bar chart below shows the results of a survey conducted by a personnel department at a major company The survey was carried out on two groups of workers: those aged from 18-30 and those aged 45-60, and shows factors affecting their work performance Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below Answer: The bar chart indicates a survey on two different age groups on the factors contributing to make their environment pleasant for working These factors are divided into external and internal factors The internal factors are team spirit, competent boss, respect from colleagues and job satisfaction The external factors are chance for personal development, job security, promotional prospects and money On the internal factors above 50% in both age groups agreed that team spirit, competent boss and job satisfaction are essential to make their environment pleasant Whereas on the external factors, there are contrasting results On the chance for personal development and promotional aspects, 80% to 90% of the younger groups were in favor while only less than 50% of the older group thought so A similar pattern is also noted on job security With regards to money, 69% to 70% on both age group said it is essential In conclusion, the internal factors have similar responses from the two age groups while they had dissimilar responses on the external factors More tasks can be obtained by sending an email to michele@englishtesthelp.com General Writing Task Test You and your family are living in rented accommodation in an English speaking country You are not satisfied with the condition of some of the furniture Write a letter to your friend In your letter • introduce yourself • explain what is wrong with the furniture • say what action you would like the landlord to take Write at least 150 words You NOT need to write any addresses Begin your letter as follows: Dear , Answer: Dear Mr Smith, I am your tenant from Flat on Riverside Street We met each other when I signed the rental agreement in your office I have lived here for months now and I am writing to complain about some of the furniture As you may remember, the dining table is in very poor condition and has uneven legs It also does not match the dining chairs as these are too low to be comfortable for a table of that height When I first pointed this out to you, you agreed to provide a brand new dining set However, you have not done so and I would really like to resolve this matter as soon as possible If it is more convenient for you, perhaps you could simply replace the table by finding one of a suitable height for the chairs This would solve the problems without too much cost, so I hope you agree to this proposed solution I look forward to hear from you Thank you Yours sincerely, David Diaz Test You have just moved into a new home and are planning to hold a party You are worried that the noise may disturb your neighbour Write a letter to your neighbour In your letter • introduce yourself • describe your plans for the party • invite your neighbour to come Write at least 150 words You NOT need to write any addresses Begin your letter as follows: Dear , Answer: Dear neighbour, I am your new neighbour, I moved in Last week with my son, I am working as a nurse in the nearby hospital I am planning o hold a Party, I will invite all my friends and relatives, my son also will invite his friends I would like to invite you too, I will be happy to see you At the Party I will provide all kind of drinks, different Type of food, I will Prepare intercontinental dishes as well as some Arabic food, in addition I will also get some Indian and Chinese food, I will order them from the restaurant, so we will have planty of food and drinks, we will also listen o some music and I will introduced you to all of my friends, also who ever likes to dance they can I hope everyone will enjoy the Party and have fun including you If you decided not to come for any reason, Please inform me, and I want to be sure that the noise will not disturb you Look forward to see you, as this Party gives both of us the opportunity to be good friends Yours faithfully, Mahir Singh Test A friend you met last year has invited you to visit them in their country You have never been there before and need some information before you leave Write a letter to your friend In your letter • request advice about a gift for his/her family • ask about activities and clothing • find out about the food Write at least 150 words You NOT need to write any addresses Begin your letter as follows: Dear , Answer: Dear Robert, I hope you’re enjoying your college year Thanks very much for asking me to come and visit you in Singapore As you know, I haven’t travelled to Asia before, so I though I’d write and ask you a few questions I want to bring a present with me and I wondered what would be appropriate Perhaps you could let me know what your mum’s hobbies are and then I could come up with an idea based on one of them Also, what sort of clothes should I bring? I know it’s pretty warm where you live but I need jumpers or a coat? What sort of activities are we likely to while I’m there and should I bring things like swimming gear or trainers Lastly, I hate to be nuisance but I hope you remember that I’m vegetarian I eat fish and eggs but I don’t eat red meat and chicken at all Is that going to be a problem? Look forward to hearing from you Regards, Barnaby Smith Common Letters for Practice (Start with Dear Sir,) You successfully passed a job interview You are expected to start on November 15, But you will not be able on that date Write a letter to your new boss • Explaining your situation • Expressing your concern • Suggesting solutions Write a letter to your professor outlining why you are not satisfied with their course • write the reasons why you are not satisfied with the course • request to change your course • indicate what course you want to take instead Write a letter to a friend expressing your interest to seek employment in a different country • Why you want to work in a different country • What type of work you will be looking for • Questions you have about working in a different country that your friend may be able to answer You have taken a cruise and have been disappointed with the experience Write a letter to the cruise provider and specify • what went wrong • how did you feel about it • what you want to be done about it You live in an English speaking country and you want to some voluntary, unpaid work in a developing country Write a letter to a company called Cultural Expeditions, which organizes such trips In your letter: • Explain why you want to the voluntary work • State what your skills and experience are • Indicate where you would like to volunteer and for how long You eat at your college cafeteria every lunchtime However, you think it needs some improvements Write a letter to the college magazine In your letter: • explain what you like about the cafeteria • say what is wrong • suggest how it could be improved You are looking for a part-time job Write a letter to an employment agency In your letter: • introduce yourself • explain what sort of job you would like • say what experience and skills you have You have received a letter from your bank, asking you to acknowledge receipt of a new bank card However, the card was missing from the envelope Write a letter to the bank’s head office In your letter: • explain why you are writing • express concern about the missing card • ask them what they intend to You are being sent on a one month work assignment in San Francisco, California You need a place to stay while you are there Write a letter to the Maury Samson Real Estate Agency In your letter: • explain the situation • describe the kind of accommodation you would like • provide the dates you will need it You have been living in a rental apartment for the past year Recently a new neighbour moved in who has loud parties several times a week Write a letter complaining about this to the landlord In your letter: • explain the situation • describe why it bothers you • suggest a solution You exercise regularly and have been a member of many different gyms Recently, you moved into a new neighborhood and joined a new gym You have noticed that people at this gym not bother to wipe down the machines after use and often leave dirty towels on the benches in the change rooms Write to Mr Koto, the manager In your letter: • explain who you are • describe the problem exactly • make suggestions to improve the gym You live in a high-rise building, which has a communal laundry room There are many washers and dryers there, but even more residents Sometimes people don’t come in time to empty the machines and other residents have to wait for a washer or dryer You think the building management should purchase 10 extra laundry baskets and make them available for such times, so the machines can be freed up Write to the Property Manager, Mrs Williams In your letter: • explain how long you have been a resident • describe the problem • propose your solution You are going away to travel for the summer A friend will be looking after your house while you are away Write a letter to your friend In your letter: • say where you are going • describe your house • explain some of the things your friend must to look after your house Acknowledgements The author would like to thank October 2013 batch of international students who willingly trialed the practice tests and generously gave their time and opinions Special thanks to Michael Elkan for editing and encouragement for this project Sources of Texts: 2014 IELTS Exam Preparation, ielts-exam.net About the Author Michele Elkan has been a teacher trainer for years to a multicultural international student community in Australia, India, Philippines, Dubai, Libya, Bosnia and United Kingdom She runs a private coaching enterprise from Australia and travels around the world to conduct workshops Students call her the IELTS Expert Coach Sensible Quotes for Inspiration “A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” —Thomas Carruthers “Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.” —Sir Claus Moser “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” —Socrates “I put the relation of a fine teacher to a student just below the relation of a mother to a son.” —Thomas Wolfe “If you find yourself saying ‘But I can’t speak English ’, try adding the word ‘ yet’ —Jane Revell & Susan Norman “Learning is never done without errors and defeat.” —Vladimir Lenin “One must have strategies to execute dreams.” —Azim Premji, CEO Wipro Ind [...]... List of Headings i Reading not taken for granted ii Taking children to libraries iii Reading: the mark of civilization iv Reading in St Augustine’s day v A large pool of educated workers in India vi Literacy rates in developed countries have declined because of people’s attitude vii Persuading people to read viii iteracy influences the economies of countries in today’s world xi Reading benefits the... billions of pounds x The attitude to reading amongst the young xi Reading becomes an economic force xii The writer’s attitude to the decline in reading 16 Paragraph A 17 Paragraph B 18 Paragraph C 19 Paragraph D 20 Paragraph E 21 Paragraph F 22 Paragraph G Example Paragraph HAnswer vii Questions 23-27 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 23-27 on... developed countries E There are also forces conspiring against reading in our modern society It is not seen as cool among a younger generation more at home with computer screens or a Walkman The solitude of reading is not very appealing Students at school, college or university who read a lot are called bookworms The term indicates the contempt in which reading and learning are held in certain circles or subcultures... attempts to change attitudes to habits like reading F But the negative connotations apart, is modern Western society standing Canute-like against an uncontrollable spiral of decline? I think not G How should people be encouraged to read more? It can easily be done by increasing basic reading skills at an early age and encouraging young people to borrow books from schools Some schools have classroom libraries... age Reading comics, magazines and low brow publications like Mills and Boon is frowned upon But surely what people, whether they be adults or children, read is of little import What is significant is the fact that they are reading Someone who reads a comic today may have the courage to pick up a more substantial tome later on H But perhaps the best idea would be to stop the negative attitudes to reading. .. reading from forming in the first place Taking children to local libraries brings them into contact with an environment where they can become relaxed among books If primary school children were also taken in groups into bookshops, this might also entice them to want their own books A local bookshop, like some local libraries, could perhaps arrange book readings for children which, being away from the... perhaps, they just might then all become bookworms You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 16-22, which are based on Reading Passage 2 on the following pages Questions 16-22 Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs labelled A-H Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below Write the appropriate numbers (i-xii) in boxes 16-22 on your answer sheet One of the headings... Conclusion: Summary, Balance, Future NO LONG SENTENCES – USE LINKING WORDS No spelling errors acceptable for 7 band Even if there is one error you will get 6.5 band Academic Practice Reading Tests Academic Reading Test 1 Reading Passage 1 NETWORKING Networking as a concept has acquired what is in all truth an unjustified air of modernity It is considered in the corporate world as an essential tool for... What, as well as understanding and thought abstraction, sets us apart from other animals? Reading Passage 2 A SILENT FORCE A There is a legend that St Augustine in the fourth century AD was the first individual to be seen reading silently rather than aloud, or semi-aloud, as had been the practice hitherto Reading has come a long way since Augustine’s day There was a time when it was a menial job... to be seen reading silently Yes 23 European countries have been satisfied with past achievements for too long and have allowed other countries to overtake them in certain areas 24 Reading is an economic force 25 The literacy rate in less developed nations is considerably higher than in all European countries 26 If you encourage children to read when they are young the negative attitude to reading that