Without capital punishment our lives are less secure and crimes or violence increase. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Committing serious crimes need capital punishment so that the offender unable to involved in the crime in the future. However, If they want to stop the violated act in the future then it would better to forget him and judge him for a change .Overall, I agree with the fact that punishment is the way to avoid the crime to be increased and hence our lives become more secure. If the wrongdoer wants to be a good man and there is some financial or personal problem that led him to the wrong way, then it would be the nice option to forgive him and try to solve the problem he have. Although by this way, some bad man may become effective part of the society but some do not bring themselves to the right path because they are very much used to of it. The person that _ involved in the crime and never try to stop the law-breaking act should be punished in the extremely serious way. However, it totally depends on the nature of crime. Some crime led to capital punishment and some may require small penalty. The law-making institutions are responsible to bring the bad man to the right level of punishment that he deserves. If there is weak legislation to properly handle the offender, it may become our society less secure for the good man. The government should be responsible authority to provide secure and better state to live. Laws should be implemented and executed in the most proper way that do not allow the offender to commit violence act or to break the law in any way or extent. To sum up, it is the responsibility of the state runner to stop people to involved in crime. It may be done through solving the problems of the people that led them to commit violence act or by the punishment accordingly.

Where are the paragraphs? This is a very good essay; however there are many small mistakes that will cost you dearly. There are also several unclear expressions and grammatical errors.

You should rewrite it, giving more thought to what is required, eg. paragraphs.

Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

It is certainly said that learning is an ongoing process .Every person learn something new according to their age, experience knowledge and education. According to my point of view it is always better to have _teacher or guide for study.

One teacher has adequate knowledge to teach their student. He knows all the possible ways to make subject easier for the students, even he teaches them in effective manner. For example, some students are weak in some subjects but a teacher always guides them according to their mental capacity. He teaches them as fun. Some people can learn better in group by discuss the topics with others. In class people can know the other?s views, even they know how we can learn effectively. Where the teacher always give easy direction to learn.

In the today?s competitive world, everbody is busy, some people think that rather to waste their time to go for classes they can learn better regarding their subject _. They can attend online classes by using internet at home. They can get relevant information from internet regarding their topic. There is not specific time, age limit to learn something new. Some thing new which we always learn only with the experience such as atequates, knowledge, new habits and so on.

In sum up, I would like to say that it is always better for the people to have teacher because one teacher has good knowledge, experience and education to teach others. They can take learn easy from him rather by themselves.

Where are the paragraphs in this essay? You must be very careful using definitive words like ?always? and making statements of fact. The essay is for you to provide an opinion and to provide supporting arguments. Also, the other side of the argument about teachers that have limited knowledge or people that learn better on their own is not presented here.

The boys are most influenced by their fathers and girls are most influenced by their mothers. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.

It is true that nowadays parent have a great influence over the children. Some people hold the opinion that the same sex is the major determinations of influencing parent, but others have a negative attitude. As far as I am concerned, I agree that boys are most influenced by their fathers and girls are most influenced by their mothers. My arguments for this point are listed below.

First of all, father is the person who passed that ways which are his son is passing now, in the other words, sons are stepping in a trace which fathers had driven them. So, based on experience it is easy for father to notice sons’ drawbacks and influence them.

Secondly, it is true that a boy is countedas a strong characteristics human , but a girl is subtle and fragile one. It is hard for mothers to influence their sons, because it is unbelievable that vulnerable something can affect a strong one.

In conclusion, it seems to me unfair that boys are most influenced by their mothers. Based on at least two points which are above I strongly agree that children are influenced by a parent of the same gender.

This essay is too short, 190 words instead of the minimum requirement of 250. It doesn’t say anything about girls being influenced by their mothers, which is also a part of the task – therefore the task is only partially covered. The sentences are not complex enough, there are grammatical mistakes and language inaccuracies (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a Band 5.5 essay

Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

In the present age, globalization is playing increasingly important role in our lives. But in the meantime whether it is a blessing or a curse has sparked much debate. Some people argue the globalization has fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives while many others contend that it has detrimental effect as well.

Convincing argument can be made that globalization not only plays a pivotal role in the development of technology and economy, but also promotes the exchange of cultures between different countries. To start with, it is the globalization that impelled many corporate to become an international group, thereby making contribution to local technology and employment. Specifically, when a multinational group establish a factory in a developing country, the new equipment, the new management skill and the job vacancies are all in the best interest of local society. Moreover, people worldwide can know each other better through globalization. It is easy to see that more and more Hollywood blockbusters shows the cultures different from American, some recent examples are Kungfu Panda and Mummy.

Admittedly, profit driven globalization severely affected the young people. Today, in the metropolises in different countries, it is very common sight that teenagers are wearing NIKE T-shirt and Adidas footwear, playing Hi-pop music with Apple ipod and having KFC. The culture that took thousand years to form is just seems similar in these cities; it is looks like you can only distinguish them by their language. Meanwhile, in some developing countries, sweat workshop is always the issue that concerned by WHO. For instance, some report shows that some teenagers who employed by NIKE�s contractor always stay in the factory that is fulfilled by smell over 14 hours a day, but they only work for fifty cents per hour.

In summary, I would concede that globalization do come with some adverse effects. Despite that the benefits created by it far outweigh the disadvantages. Overall, I convinced that we should further promote globalization and meanwhile the local government should take some measures to combat culture assimilation and sweat workshop.

This essay is extremely long (338 words instead of the advised 250-265). It has a sound structure, your position is clearly expressed, the information is well-organized, and structure-wise the sentences are fine. The vocabulary is impressive and there only were a few grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a band 7.5 + essay.

From his IELTS in Philippines K only remembered the Writing tasks and the Speaking questions. Nevertheless, this is a very useful information, because these are new topics and questions that never appeared before.Thanks, K!

Writing Test

Writing Task 1 (report)We were asked to describe a bar graph on what employees perceive as qualities of a good manager, comparing it for three different years, 1984, 1994 & 2004.

Writing Task 2 (essay)21st century has brought optimism to people, do you share same optimism and to what degree?

Speaking Test

Interview- Tell me, what is your full name?- What should I call you?- Where are you from?- Do you work or study?- Why did you choose this work?- Do you like to work in a group or alone?- Why?- How often do you go out?- When was the last time you went out with your friends?- Do you prefer to go out alone or with friends?

Cue cardWhat Television show you enjoy most?- describe the TV show you like- why do you enjoy it?- do you talk much about it?

Discussion- What particular shows do people here enjoy the most?- Are there any other shows that they enjoy?- What is the role TV shows play in your society?- Would it be better if people would keep watching TV shows?- In the future, how will TV shows impact the culture of you society?

IELTS in Vienna, Austria was described by SVB as follows. Many thanks for remembering and sharing.

Listening test

Section 1: A lady who had recently moved to a new place was inquiring about a drama club with the chairman of the club.Questions: Fill in the blanks, multiple choices, and information matching.

Section 2: A conversation between 2 students about books, their authors and contents of the books. The books were about insects and wild animals.Questions: Fill in the blanks.

Section 3: Conversation about a coal mining research.

Reading test

Passage 1: The text was about disabled children, their difficulties in education, the steps taken by the government of New Zealand and what else can be done.Questions: Which paragraph has the following sentences?

Passage 2: The text was about “Tulip Mania”, how the Europeans were crazy about tulips, how tulips trading had its success and then declined.

Passage 3: The text was about believing in serendipity in scientific research and business amongst different scientists.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)Explain the difference between the two diagrams. The 2 diagrams showed the school buildings in 2003 & 2010.

Writing Task 2 (essay)Express your views regarding insufficient respect nowadays towards older people. What can be the reasons? How does it affect the society? Support your answer with your personal experience.

Speaking Test

Interview- Tell me about your full name?- What should I call you?- Where are you from?- Why people travel to your country?- Do you work or study?- Why did you choose to study your course?- Do you like to study with a group or alone?- Why?

- How often do you go out?- When was the last time you went out with your friends?- Do you prefer to go out alone or with friends?

Cue cardYou should speak about a special toy you got as a child- describe the toy,- tell why it was so important to you.

Discussion- Do you think toys should be shared by children?- What do you think is the impact of sharing toys between children?- What can you tell about toys before and toys nowadays?- How would a toy help in the development of children?

SVB says: My Speaking test questions were exactly the same set of questions like the previous tests questions in Malaysia, Jeddah and Saudi Arabia, I prepared for above set of questions night before the exam and I did it well, I think that past IELTS speaking test questions are most probably to repeat in the future exams

Academic IELTS in New Zealand was described by R, who kindly shared the questions she remembered:

Note: according to people from Taiwan their exam was the same.

Listening test

Section 1: Traveling to Sahara Desert.Questions: Multiple choice, Filling in the gaps.

Section 2: Preschool family center.Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Section 3: Honey bees in Australia.Questions: Multiple choice, Filling in the gaps.

Section 4: Australian railway between Darwin and Adelaide.Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Reading test

Passage 1: Industrial Revolution.Questions: matching headings to paragraph, find a particular sentence, where it belongs to.

Passage 2: Classical, Neoclassical approach to work. Weber, Gregor’s opinion and criticism.

Passage 3: Science and Chemistry in 18th centuryQuestions: Matching paragraphs, Filling in the gaps.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report) World Heritage sites (there was about 7) in Australia visited by tourists. There was a table, with 3 columns for the following years 1996, 1998, 2000. In the rows there were numbers for heritage sitesGreat Barrier Reef 1500000 1980000 3210000Blue Mountain 450000 470000 550000Rainforest 700000 650000 600000asmania don’t remember the numbersMacqaurie Island 330 310 300

These are not the exact numbers, but similar ones.

Writing Task 2 (essay)Some parents let their children live in another country or a bigger city and study in a college. Is it a positive development? What are the reasons? Give examples and state your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview- What is your name?- What do you do, study or work?- Did you have to have training for your job?- Where do you live?- What do you think about advertisement?- Did you buy any product, because it was advertised?

Cue cardTell me about a conversation, which happened recently, you should say:- why was it important- who was that person that you had the conversation with- when was it- describe what did you learn from that conversation

Discussion- Talk about conversations between women and men, what is the difference, if there is a difference.

- Is conversation important?- How can you improve it?

IELTS in Birmingham, UK was described as follows by M, who managed to remember and share the questions. Later on I found out from another student that IELTS in Hyderabad, India was exactly the same.

Listening test

Section 1: Opening a bank account.Questions: There was a form to fill.

Section 2: A conversation between a student and a local person regarding a sports club and other services of the town.

Section 3: HR of a clothing company giving out details on the recruitment process in the company.

Section 4: A teacher who started a new website for online studies.

Reading test

Passage 1: Difference between traditional methods of IQ testing and the recent ones.

Passage 2: Gestures and how different countries have different meaning for the same gestures.Questions: Find a paragraph with the given statement, True/False/Not Given.

Passage 3 : Complicated text on marine biodiversity and the threat to marine life because of human activities – a little confusing and difficult.Questions: Multiple choice, matching headings to paragraphs, matching sentences to paragraphs, filling in the gaps words from passage, overall rather difficult.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)We had a simple table with 2 columns showing number of motor vehicles per 1000 population in 8 countries in the years 1999 and 2000.

Writing task 2 (essay)Looking into family history is considered very valuable by some. Others live for the present and for the future. Discuss both opinions and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview- Full name?- What should I call you?- Tell me about where you live now.- Transportation facilities where you live, what are they?- Fruits and vegetables – what do you think of them as a part of your diet?- Do you read?- Should kids be encouraged to read?

Cue cardTalk about a conversation you had with someone, you should say:- Whom you had it with.- What made it important to you.

Discussion- Have you had this conversation with anyone else?- In which situations do strangers talk to each other?- What are the conversations that are usual in your country?

You stayed at your friends? house when you participated in a business seminar in Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you by post.

My dearest Philip,

I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are priceless and all I can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to somehow propiciate equaly joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room I used in your house.

This document is a signed contract and was the most important reason of my trip to Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certaintly can wonder how desperate I have been in the last days looking for this document midst my luggage. I could not find it anywhere and am sure I left it in your house.

Please let me know if you find it, and post it for express delivery as soon as possible. I will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch numbers.

With best whishes,Leonardo

You have bought a new laptop computer and in a few days of purchase discovered a major flaw. Write a letter to the company. In your letter- introduce yourself- explain the situation- say what action you would like to company to take.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with a laptop computer I bought in your store four days ago.

As soon as I turned on the computer, I realized that Windows operating system was not installed in it, although the offer said it was included. In addition, I chose a gray laptop and the one I received is black. Moreover, the default language of the laptop is Japanesse and I haven�t been able to change it to my native language, which is English. To make matters worse, the memory specifications of this laptop are not the same as the ones that I read in your catalog.

I definitely need this situation to be solved as soon as possible. I made the decision to buy the laptop at your store, because of previous good recommendations some friends of mine gave me about your store. However, after this experience, I feel deceived.

I would like you can send me the laptop I first chose at your store, including all the specifications were shown in the offer. If I don�t get a quick response to my request, I hope a full refund of the payment I already made.

Thanks in advance for your response.

Yours faithfully,

R.

This is a good letter, all it need is a little more attention as there are certain language inaccuracies (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a Band 7 letter.

Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

In the present age, globalization is playing increasingly important role in our lives. But in the meantime whether it is a blessing or a curse has sparked much debate. Some people argue the globalization has fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives while many others contend that it has detrimental effect as well.

Convincing argument can be made that globalization not only plays a pivotal role in the development of technology and economy, but also promotes the exchange of cultures between different countries. To start with, it is the globalization that impelled many

corporate to become an international group, thereby making contribution to local technology and employment. Specifically, when a multinational group establish a factory in a developing country, the new equipment, the new management skill and the job vacancies are all in the best interest of local society. Moreover, people worldwide can know each other better through globalization. It is easy to see that more and more Hollywood blockbusters shows the cultures different from American, some recent examples are Kungfu Panda and Mummy.

Admittedly, profit driven globalization severely affected the young people. Today, in the metropolises in different countries, it is very common sight that teenagers are wearing NIKE T-shirt and Adidas footwear, playing Hi-pop music with Apple ipod and having KFC. The culture that took thousand years to form is just seems similar in these cities; it is looks like you can only distinguish them by their language. Meanwhile, in some developing countries, sweat workshop is always the issue that concerned by WHO. For instance, some report shows that some teenagers who employed by NIKE�s contractor always stay in the factory that is fulfilled by smell over 14 hours a day, but they only work for fifty cents per hour.

In summary, I would concede that globalization do come with some adverse effects. Despite that the benefits created by it far outweigh the disadvantages. Overall, I convinced that we should further promote globalization and meanwhile the local government should take some measures to combat culture assimilation and sweat workshop.

This essay is extremely long (338 words instead of the advised 250-265). It has a sound structure, your position is clearly expressed, the information is well-organized, and structure-wise the sentences are fine. The vocabulary is impressive and there only were a few grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a band 7.5 + essay.

Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a very positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

Globalization is such a commonly used term in the twentieth century. It simply means that the world has become integrated economically, socially, politically and culturally through the advances of technology, transportation and communication. It is undeniable to say that globalization has resulted in both positive and negative effects which must be addressed accordingly.

To begin with, globalization has contributed to the world�s economies in many beneficial ways. The advances in science and technology have allowed businesses to easily cross over territorial boundary lines. Consequently, companies tend to become more productive, competitive thereby raising quality of goods, services and the world�s living standard.

Secondly, several companies from the more developed countries have already ventured to establish foreign operations or branches to take advantage of the low cost of labor in the poorer countries. This kind of business activity will provide more influx of cash or investment funds into the less developed countries.

However, one cannot deny the negative effects which have derived from globalization. One crucial social aspect is the risk and danger of epidemic diseases which can easily be spread as the mode transportation is easier and faster in today�s advance society. This is evidenced in the recent bird�s flu disease which has infected most Asian countries over a short time frame.

As large corporations invest or take over many off shore businesses, a modern form of colonization will also evolve which may pose certain power pressure on the local governments of the less developed countries. Unemployment rates in the more developed regions like Europe may also escalate as corporations choose to outsource cheaper work force from Asian countries.

In conclusion. I like to reiterate that globalization is inevitable and we must urge individuals, companies and governments to use a more balanced approach by taking appropriate steps to deal with matters relating to the financial or economical gains verses the social, political or ecological concerns of the world.

This essay is too long, 318 words instead of 250-265. Otherwise (except for some minor grammatical errors) it is a very nice work. It covers the task, has the right structure, the paragraphs are coherent and logically connected by elegantly used linking words, the structure of sentences is fine and so is your vocabulary. Looks like a Band 7.5 or higher essay.

A very kind student from Japan is telling us about his recent exam (thanks K!), here is what he remembers:

Listening testSection 1 – about booking a seminar and the details of a presentation / a seminarSections 2 and 3 – don’t remember the topicsSection 4 – something about ancient paintings.

Sections 1, 2 and 3 were quite clear, I could listen and find the answers in proper sequence.Section 4 was too fast, in first 4-5 questions’ passage, there were no clear clues for the answers, it was hard to locate them. I looked ahead in the next set of questions and stuck to its next sub-heading, there I could find clear answers.

Reading test

Passage 1 was easy (True/False/Not Given questions)

Passage 2 had six paragraphs referring to six different person’s names. Questions were to match each person’s name with the questions asked, so it was quite easy.

Passage 3: I started with Passage 3, because its always found harder than the other two passages and it requires more time to locate correct answers. It was based on various Social Institutes and what they do. What age group they consider and what help they provide. Answers were in form of (True/False/Not Given) and gap-fills with no more than three words.

Writing test

Writing Task 1You saw an advertisement of some social activity related to helping old people. Write a letter to a manager and say- Why you want to help old people.- Give the details of your experience- Tell them when could you be able to help them.

Writing Task 2Some people say that international travel will be decreasing in future. Should the decrease in international travel be good? What are the positive and negative effects?

Speaking test

Interview- What is your Full Name?- Where are you from?- Tell me about your current stay in Japan, where do you live?- Tell me about transportation where you live.

Clue cardDiscuss on an electronic machine/ device you would like to buy, you should say- what would you like to buy- where did you get to know about it- what features would you like to have in it.- explain why would you like to buy it.

Discussion- Do you like driving?- If you are having children, at what age would you like them to drive?- What are the advantages of technology for you?- What are the disadvantages of technology?- How are the social changes related to technology happening?- What about Internet, do you think Internet is a cause of social change?- Do you think that people get lost if they are not coping up with technology?

In some countries children have very strict rules of behavior, in other countries they are allowed to do almost anything they want. To what extent should children have to follow rules?

The extent to which children have to follow rules is in itself a very complex issue, since children across the world grow up in very different cultures. In India for example, the level of morality is very high and children are to be very submissive to their parents as well as other adults around them. This, however, is not the case for the Western countries of the world where children follow the motto �Thou shalt do what thou wilt� as promoted by celebrities and rock stars. I believe that following strict rules has both advantages as well as serious drawbacks as discussed below.

Firstly, strict rules of behavior create responsible and respectful children who in turn mature into respectful adults. This forms a stable society which is virtually free from vices such as prostitution and drug abuse. Secondly, if children do not follow strict rules of behavior, they will get out of hand and become work- shy and indolent. This will then create a burden on society since the government has to find ways to cater for these social ills.

However, forcing children to follow strict rules of behavior doesn�t always yield positive results as discussed above, most of the time it backfires and works against society. For example, teenagers are more likely to do the opposite of what they�re told to do simply because they want to be independent. Children should also have rights to exercise their free will and develop their own pattern of behaviors. Strict rules simply destroy the individuality of children if they�re imposed on them.

At the end of the day, it is clear that children should be guided by rules, but these rules should not be imposed on them because as human beings, they need to have room to develop their own traits of character and adopt a behavioral pattern of their own.

This essay is too long (309 words instead of advised 250-265). Otherwise this work is a very good one; it covers the task, your position is clear, the ideas are well-organized, expressed, explained and supported. The sentences show a wide range of language structures, cohesive devices and the grammar is fine. Overall, looks like a band 7.5 or higher essay

Financial education should be mandatory component of the school program. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is an obvious fact that financial aspects are a major part of daily life, as an adult and even as a young individual. Each and every one of us has to make financial decisions concerning recreation, health, education and more. The question is whether to start with financial education as part of school program or postpone it for a later stage in life.

To being with, being able to understand the value of money, the way the economic system works and interpret financial news and its implications is a virtue. Without this virtue, an individual, and even a young one, might suffer, to some extent. For an example, a child who doesn’t understand the concept of money might find it more difficult to except choosing only one present out of more possible ones.

In addition, many adults are lacking financial analysis capabilities. Quite often, the reason can be a shaky basis or insecurity when it comes to financial terms and concepts. Starting from an early age, building a strong background, can very likely prevent such a situation.

However, financial education necessarily involves quantifying and setting prices and value for services and goods. It can be easily turn young people into cynical and cold-hearted human beings. Furthermore, a tendency to self-concentration and egoism might rise when one start measuring everything from a profit making perspective.

In conclusion, financial education has both pros and cons. In my opinion, the advantages are stronger than the disadvantages, making financial education an advisable component of school program. The disadvantages should be thought of as a certain price that young people have to pay due to the characteristics of the world that we live in.

This is a wonderful essay. It covers the task, is correctly structured, the paragraphs are logically connected, the structure of sentences shows excellent command of English. The vocabulary is fine and both spelling and grammar are very good. See comments underlined in blue for some minor corrections. Overall, looks like a Band 7.5 � 8 essay.

You are advised to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on this task.

The table below describes percentages of home schooled students in SomeCountry in 1999-2004. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

This table shows homeschooled students in Somecountry in year 1999-2004 in percenages.

The main trend is that all grades including kindergarten is growing for every year. Kindergarten started highest at 2.4 and ended highest at 2.9 percent with a constant increase. But grades 1-2 and grades 5-6 shows a little different trend, both starts at 1,5 percent in 1999 and declines a little bit in 2000. Both of them increased slowly in 2002 and both it holds that course to 2004 where grades 1-2 ends at 2,1 percent and grades 5-6 ends at 2.6 percent.

Grades 3-4 has a slow but steady growth througt all six years. It starts at 1.6 percent in 1999 and increases 0.1 every year except in 2003 when it peaks up 0.2 percent. Grades 7-8 starts at 1.6 percent and stays there for three years until it rapidly rises up to 2.2 and peaks at 2.5 in 2004.

Overall, all grades including kindergarten has had a rise at rougly minimum 1 percent and more in 6 years.

This is a good report; here is how you can make it better: the coherence needs improvement, meaning the logical connection between sentences inside a paragraph and between paragraphs. Use more connective words (Furthermore, However, etc).

The groupings you?ve done are fine, but try to use more variations describing those statistics: use words such as numbers, figures, percentages, etc. The grammar and the spelling need some extra attention.

The graph below gives information on wages of Somecountry over a ten-year period. Write a report for a university tutor describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

The linegraph describes the growth of wages in Somecountry from year 1993 to year 2003.

The growth starts at two percent in 1993, but it doesn’t stay there very long before it rapidly doubles in 1994. Further on, the percentages declines to three percent in 1995, stays steady for year, before it start to rise slowly and ends up just under four percent in 1997. 1998 is the best year where the wages peaked at six percent.

However, after 1998 the wages declines nearly every year. Only a year after , the percentage drops to well under three percent, stays there on roughly three percent till 2000. In 2002 the wages reach the lowest point of just one percent growth. Luckily the growth rises in 2003 at junst under two percent.

Overall, the growth rate in wages in Somecountry has shown striking changes through the ten years.

This is a good report. It covers the task, divided correctly into paragraphs and the vocabulary is just right. Problems: it has less than 150 words (146) and there are some grammatical errors. Assuming the corrections were made, looks like Band 7.

The graph below shows annual water usage (in millions of cubic meters) by industries in Somecountry. Write a report for a university tutor describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

The bargraph describes the water usage for every year in Somecountry in millions of cubic meters.

The water usage are shown in two trends , ground water and public supply. Fuel and textiles are the ones that uses the least water, 10 of public supply and 70 and 80 of ground

water. Machinery are just the opposite of these two and has 10 of ground water and 100 of public supply.

Food/drinks, metal, paper and chemicals are all over 100 of ground water where chemicals peaks at dramaticlly 430. The highest number of water usage of public supplies also belongs to chemicals (240). Next on the list is food/drinks with 190, the others are under 100.

Overall, the chemical industry uses a lot more water then the rest of the industries both ground water and public supplies, and in general most industries use ground water by far more then public supplies.

This is a good report, the trends are correctly noticed. Suggested improvements: use units in addition to numbers (10 of what? Millions of cubic meters). Use more connective words to smoothly move from one paragraph to another. Pay attention to grammar, see comments.

You successfully passed a job interview. You are expected to start on November 15, but you will not be available on that date. Task: Write a letter to your new boss, explaining your situation, expressing your concern and suggesting solution.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Leonardo Gomes and I have recently passed a job interview for the Software Engineer position at the Software Infrastructure group. I was expected to start on November 15, as agreed, and am writing because unfortunately I will not be able to present myself on that date.

During the interview I estimated fifteen days as the amount of time needed for me to finish my activities at my current job and start at your company, but due to fact that I got sick for the last whole week and was not able to work, I could not finish my tasks and will need another week to do so. If necessary, I can give you a copy of a letter from my doctor informing that I had to stay at home and under medical care during that week.

I really apologize for the inconvenience and expect it not to affect our relationship. Should I present any other form of proof or talk to someone else at the company, please let me know.

Faithfully yours,Leonardo

You stayed at your friends? house when you participated in a business seminar in Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you by post.

My dearest Philip,

I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are priceless and all I can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to somehow propiciate equaly joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room I used in your house.

This document is a signed contract and was the most important reason of my trip to Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certaintly can wonder how desperate I have been in the last days looking for this document midst my luggage. I could not find it anywhere and am sure I left it in your house.

Please let me know if you find it, and post it for express delivery as soon as possible. I will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch numbers.

With best whishes,Leonardo

A student asked me about the following topic, whether I think it is a situation essay or an argument one.

“The first car appeared on Britain’s road in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29 million vehicles on British roads. Alternative forms of transport should be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use. What are your views?”

I think this is a situation essay because it is talking about a problem and is looking at a possible solution.

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

Here you should explain what is the problem, what is it’s reason and it’s consequences. The problem is traffic congestion and a higher number of traffic accidents, the roads are jammed and the environment suffers from increasing amounts of pollution.

First body paragraph – an explanation of the reasons for this situation

The reason is people are accustomed to using their own cars and that population growth combined with higher living standards means that more and more people own cars.

Second body paragraph – a possible solution (alternative transport)

Explain what forms of public transport should be developed more and why the state they are now is not sufficient to convince people use the public transport. How exactly can government develop the public transport and how can it encourage people use it.

Third body paragraph – another possible solution (laws to control cars ownership)

Write about what kind of laws can be introduced world wide to limit the number of cars per family / per company. Write whether or not you think it will work and why.

Conclusion paragraph

Summarize what was said before, do not add new information.

This is a suggested plan for an essay on the following topic:

“Today a lot of different cultures and ethnic groups live together in one country. Why is this so and do you think this is a positive or negative development?”

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

In the introduction paragraph you should first explain about the situation, mention its reason and consequences:

Example: Due to the highly developed technology, advanced communication channels and massive amounts of information delivered by media about various countries, people get more motivated to leave their home country and move somewhere else in the world. In turn, this creates a situation where well-developed and thus desired countries are getting filled of a mixture of cultures, all brought by immigrants. As beneficial as this development is to the well-being of a country, it’s drawbacks shouldn’t be forgotten.

First body paragraph – 1 point against multicultural society

People stick to their own ethnic group and don’t interact with other groups, thus creating the opposite of united society. Make that point, explain why this is so and why this is bad for the country. Then mention the good sides of cultural mix to smoothly move on to the 2nd paragraph.

Second body paragraph – 1 point for multicultural society People from various cultures contribute in multiple different ways to development because they bring with them different sets of skills, characteristic to their home country.

Make that point, explain why this is happening and why this is to the benefit of the new country.

Third body paragraph – 1 point for multicultural society

People broaden each other’s horizons by exposing a larger audience to the traditions of their own country.

Make that point, explain how this is happening and what are the benefits for the new country.

ConclusionSummarize what was already said without adding new information, express your own opinion.

I’ve received a letter from a student who ran out of ideas to write about in his IELTS essay. Nick (not his real name) was asking me if I could send him a plan for his essay and I thought that more people could find it useful, so here it is:

Essay topic: Some people think that if women were to rule the world, there would be less violence in it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

In the introduction you can first state that there are people who think that women have a less violent nature than men and for this reason suggest that women would make the world a less violent place if they were in power. Then you could mention that putting the women in charge won’t necessarily have that effect, because there are arguments for and against.

First body paragraph � 3 points against women in power

Ruling the world takes some cruelty that women might not have Having more submissive nature than men, women can create even more violence Women are not decisive enough to enforce order and thus reduce violence

Second body paragraph � 3 points in favor of women in power

Women have less violent nature Women have less tolerance for violence

Women are very concerned with making the world a safer place for the sake of the kids

Conclusion

State your personal opinion (let’s assume that you’re in favor of women in power), then summarize what was said in the second paragraph.

Doan Hung Phuong, Band 7 student, shares with us his secrets to success in the Speaking test.

Speaking tips

Speaking is a weakness of analytic learners (who learn English from books and tapes). Moreover, in countries where English is not a first language, improving your speaking in English is really difficult. Therefore, I don’t have much experience in practicing speaking. Here are some tips that I got from my teachers and some suggestions that I think they might be helpful for you.

Pronunciation is the most important feature in speaking. If you speak correctly, academically and interestingly, but no one understands what you are talking about, you certainly lose your points.

One of my teachers, who is fluent in 5 languages, shares his experience that pronunciation is the key of learning a language. It might be true since native English speakers can pronounce a unfamiliar word correctly but don’t know how to spell it. Because English is a combination of many languages, there are no totally general rules for pronunciation. As a result, you must remember everything.

So how to pronounce the words correctly?

- Firstly, listen and learn what native English speaker said. As I mentioned, listening can help you in speaking. You can correct yourself in basic words if you listen a lot. Moreover, listening can also help you to learn how to stress important words, how to speak naturally and even how to organize your speech.

- Secondly, if you learn a new word, you must know how to pronounce it first. Typically, when people want to learn new words, they revise these words again and again, and write it down so many times. But now, to improve your speaking and listening, you must hear electronic dictionary pronouncing and repeat after it again and again.

- Thirdly, make sentences with new vocabulary. Everybody might know how to pronounce words correctly, but when they combine them all together, they cannot pronounce correctly anymore, or even if they do, their sentence may sound unnatural. The reason is they lack of intonation. Listening might solve this problem.

- Fourthly, practice pronunciation every week (3-4 times a week) by reading out loud a short passage. At first, you practice to pronounce all the words in that passage correctly. Then read the whole passage slowly and correctly (pay attention to ending sound).

Afterward, increase reading speed in each sentence (’read’ here means you must speak out the words, not read in your mind). If you speak quickly but start to pronounce wrongly, that means you reach your limit, don’t speak faster than that. And finally, you read the whole passage again at normal speed, or may be a bit faster than normal a little bit, but you MUST include intonation.

To find material for practicing this exercise, you can visit this website: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com. There are hundreds of short news and audio files spoken by a native speaker. I guarantee if you practice this kind of exercise gradually, you pronunciation will improve a lot. (Note: this is the exercise of my teacher, who speaks 5 languages, as I mentioned before)

Now, to prepare for IELTS Speaking test, you should practice some more exercises:

- Pick a topic and stand in front of mirror to practice speaking test. You should go through all three parts of the real speaking test. Standing in front of mirror will help you improve your body language and also your pronunciation. You might find it strange that mirror can correct your pronunciation. In fact, there are some vowels and consonants that you can’t pronounce correctly if you don’t know how to do that (not just simply remember the pronunciation).

- Try to speak naturally. You are advised to speak fast with intonation (the previous reading exercise will certainly help you). You should learn and apply some verb phrases, idioms and slang expressions. This is not the key part of speaking test, but it is better if you know, not only for your test but also for you speaking skill. If you want to get 7.0, you must master pronunciation, accuracy and intonation.

Important tip #1When you practice in speaking, you must pay attention to the ending sound. But when you take the real test, don’t do that, because it will affect your fluency. In the real test, it is the time you show examiner what you got, not the time you can show them how good you can correct yourself. Using experience you gained from practicing to prove your speaking skill.

Important tip #2Another wonderful way to practice speaking is to speak English in your dream. If you never do that, you do it now. I have already spoken English in my dreams even before my teacher advice me to do so. I just watch cartoons in English, films in English and listen to songs in English. As a result, I naturally dream in English. Actually, I can control my dreams, lol, it is very interesting, try to do that. By doing that, I can think quickly in my mind, but I still have problems when speaking my ideas out. So, you must do 2 previous exercises in order to improve speaking.

Here are some real reading test questions that students from India recently had in their exam:

Speaking test #1

Interview1. Is bicycle a best/good transport?2. Do you think that there should be separate lane for bicycles?3. Why should a child have bicycle?4. Are you working or a student?

Cue cardDescribe a famous person, you should say:Who he is?Why is he famous?Would you like to meet him/her why?

Follow up questions:1. Which quality should a famous person have?2. Why do young generation copy them?3. Who were the famous persons 50 years ago and who will be famous in the next 50 years?4. Should they have personal life?5. If you get a chance to be famous what would be your attitude?

Speaking test #2

Interview1. What is your full name?2. How can I call you?3. Can I see your identification?4. What do people usually do on weekends in your country?5. What do you do on weekends?6. Did you think art is important in life, like painting and sculptures?7. Did you draw anything when you were at school?8. Are there any art galleries and museums in your home town?

Cue cardDescribe an animal you saw, which you find very interesting. You should say:Where you saw it?How you felt about it?Why do you think it was interesting?

Follow up questions1. What kind of animals people have in their home?2. An animal you saw which is very rare to see in your home town?

3. Why people have pets in their home?4. Do you think people do not give respect animals in these days. What about 50 years ago?5. Earlier people used animals for their work. Now, what people use to do their work?6. Researchers are conducted on animals, is this a good idea?7. So many animals are extinct in these days. What do you think? why it is happening?

Speaking test #3

Interview1. Recent changes of home town.2. Meaning of your name?3. Why your were given this name?4. How may I address you?

Cue cardDescribe a recent happiest event you had.

Follow up questions1. What moments make other people happy?2. What moments are happy for elderly?3. Are rich people happy?

Speaking test #4

Interview1. What is your full name?2. How may I address you?3. Where are you living?4. How long have you been living there?5. What are the advantages of your home town?6. Is there any swimming pool?7. Have you visited any swimming pool any where?

Cue cardDescribe a famous person in your country.

Follow up questions1. Why do people want to get fame?2. How can a person be famous?3. Which person get inspiration by famous people?4. Which type of people get inspiration from celebrities?5. What sort of people were famous in past, say 50 years ago?