Preparation Guide - Ielts-essentials

08IELTS Preparation GuideListening testQuestion types and tipsListening test format: 30 minutesThe Listening section is thesame for both IELTS Academicand IELTS General Training.There are four parts. You willhear the recording only once.A variety of voices and nativespeaker accents are used.Section 1: A conversation betweentwo people set in an everyday socialcontext (e.g. a conversation aboutaccommodation).Section 2: A monologue set in aneveryday social context (e.g. a speechabout local facilities or about arrangementsfor meals during a conference).Section 3: A conversation betweenup to four people set in an educationalor training context (e.g. a universitytutor and a student discussing anassignment, or a group of peopleplanning a project).Section 4: A talk (e.g. a university lecture).Tips01 At the beginning of each section readthe questions for that section carefully,before the recording starts. This willhelp you to follow the recording andidentify the answers.03 You will sometimes have a list ofoptions to choose from as answers.The possible answers may be listed inalphabetical order and not necessarilyin the order you will hear them.02 After completing a section, it is betterto look ahead and read the questionsfor the next section than to worryabout the last section.04 Be careful to note word limits. If thereis an instruction: Write no more thantwo words, writing more than twowords will mean you will receive nomarks at all for your answer, evenif some of the words are correct.05 Try to listen for key words or synonyms(words that have the same or nearlythe same meaning as another word)from the question to help you identifythe answer. For example, in therecording you might hear: “She likesgoing to the gym and playing tennis”.On your answer sheet/screen (incomputer-delivered IELTS), this couldappear as “She is an active person”.

Listening test09Question typesA variety of question types are used, chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching, plan/map/diagramlabelling, form/note/table/flowchart/summary completion, sentence completion.Multiple choiceIn multiple choice questions, there isa question followed by three possibleanswers, or the beginning of a sentencefollowed by three possible ways tocomplete the sentence. You are requiredto choose one correct answer — A, Bor C.Sometimes, you are given a longer listof possible answers and told that youhave to choose more than one. In thiscase, you should read the questioncarefully to check how many answersare required.How it worksMultiple choice questions are usedto test a wide range of skills. Youmay be required to have a detailedunderstanding of specific pointsor an overall understanding of themain points of the listening text.MatchingYou are required to match a numbered listof items from the listening text to a set ofoptions on the question paper. The setof options may be criteria of some kind.How it worksMatching assesses the skill oflistening for detail and whetheryou can identify information givenin a conversation on an everydaytopic, such as the differenttypes of hotel or guest houseaccommodation.It also assesses the ability to followa conversation between two people.It may also be used to assess yourability to recognise relationshipsand connections between factsin the listening text.Plan, map, diagram labellingYou are required to complete labels ona plan (e.g. of a building), map (e.g. ofpart of a town) or diagram (e.g. of a pieceof equipment). The answers are usuallyselected from a list on the question paper.How it worksThis type of task assesses theability to understand, for example,a description of a place, and torelate this to a visual representation.This may include being able tofollow language expressing spatialrelations and directions (e.g.straight on/through the back door).Form, note, table, flowchart,summary completionYou are required to fill in the gaps inan outline of part or of all of the listeningtext. The outline will focus on the mainideas/facts in the text. It may be:1. A form: often used to recordfactual details such as names.2. A set of notes: used to summariseany type of information using thelayout to show how different itemsrelate to one another.3. A table: used as a way of summarisinginformation which relates to clearcategories — e.g. place/time/price.4. A flowchart: used to summarisea process that has clear stages,with the direction of the processshown by arrows.You may have to select your answersfrom a list presented or identify the missingwords from the recording, keeping tothe word limit stated in the instructions.You do not have to change the wordsfrom the recording in any way.You should read the instructions verycarefully as the number of words ornumbers you should use to fill thegaps will vary. A word limit is given,for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWOWORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’.

10IELTS Preparation GuideQuestion types continuedYou will be penalised for writing morethan the stated number of words, andyou should check this word limit carefullyfor each task. Contracted words will notbe tested. Hyphenated words count assingle words.How it worksThis question type focuses onthe main points that a listenerwould naturally hear in this typeof situation.Short-answer questionsIn this question type, you are requiredto read a question and then write a shortanswer using information from the listeningtext. A word limit is given, for example,‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’. You will be penalised forwriting more than the stated number ofwords. You should check this word limitcarefully for each task. Contracted wordswill not be tested. Hyphenated wordscount as single words. Sometimes testtakers are given a question that asks themto list two or three points.How it worksSentence completionIn this question type, you are requiredto read a set of sentences summarisingkey information from all the listening textor from one part of it. You will then fill agap in each sentence using informationfrom the listening text. A word limit isgiven, for example, ‘NO MORE THANONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER’.You will be penalised for writing morethan the stated number of words. Youshould check this word limit carefully foreach task: the limit is either ONE, TWOor THREE words. Contracted words willnot be tested. Hyphenated words countas single words.How it worksSentence completion focuseson the ability to identify the keyinformation in a listening text.You must understand functionalrelationships such as causeand effect.Sentence completion focuses onthe ability to listen for concretefacts, such as places, prices ortimes, within the listening text.

Reading test11Reading testQuestion types and tipsReading test format: IELTS Academic, 60 minutesThere are three sections,each containing onelong text.The texts are all real and are takenfrom books, magazines and newspapers.They have been written for a non-specialistaudience and are on academic topicsof general interest, which means you donot need specialist knowledge to do well.Texts range from the descriptive andfactual to the discursive and analytical.Texts may contain non-verbal materialssuch as diagrams, graphs or illustrations.If texts contain technical terms,then a simple glossary is provided.The texts are appropriate to, andaccessible to, candidates enteringundergraduate or postgraduate coursesor seeking professional registration.Reading test format: IELTS General Training, 60 minutesThere are three sections.Section 1: Contains two or threeshort factual texts, one of which may becomposite (consisting of 6–8 short textsrelated by topic, e.g. hotel advertisements).Topics are relevant to everyday life in anEnglish-speaking country.Section 3: Contains one longer, morecomplex text on a topic of general interest.You will be reading real passages takenfrom notices, advertisements, companyhandbooks, official documents, books,magazines and newspapers.Section 2: Contains two short factualtexts focusing on work-related issues (e.g.applying for jobs, company policies, payand conditions, workplace facilities, staffdevelopment and training).Tips01 To improve your performance in theReading test you need to practisereading a variety of English texts.This will help you develop the abilityto read quickly.02 Read every question carefullyfirst before reading the passages.This will make it easier for you tofind the answers. Underline possibleanswers as you go. In computerdelivered IELTS, you can highlightor make notes on a section of text.03 When you come to reading thepassage, read it quickly the first timein order to get a general idea of whatit’s about. Don’t worry about wordsyou do not understand. Then read eachquestion again to remind yourself whichparts of the passage you will need toread again in detail.04 The Reading passages always containthe information you need to answerthe question. You won’t have to useyour own knowledge of a topic.05 If you are copying words froma question or reading passageto use in your answer, rememberthat your spelling must be accurate.In computer-delivered IELTS, youcan use Copy (Ctrl C) and Paste(Ctrl V) on your keyboard to moveyour answers to the answer box,reducing room for mistakes.

12IELTS Preparation GuideQuestion typesA variety of question types may beused, chosen from the following:multiple choice, identifyinginformation, identifying thewriter’s views/claims, matchinginformation, matching headings,matching features, matchingsentence endings, sentencecompletion, summary completion,note completion, table completion,flowchart completion, diagramlabel completion and short-answerquestions.Identifying informationMatching informationIn this question type, you will be givena number of statements and asked:“Do the following statements agree withthe information in the text?”. You arethen required to write ‘True’, ‘False’or ‘Not given’ in the answer boxes.In this question type, you are requiredto:It is important to understand the differencebetween ‘False’ and ‘Not given’. ‘False’means the passage states the oppositeof the statement in question. ‘Not given’means that the statement is neitherconfirmed nor contradicted by theinformation in the passage.Identifying writer’s views/claimsMultiple choiceFor this question type, you are requiredto choose: the best answer fromfour alternatives, or the best two answers fromfive alternatives, or the best three answersfrom seven alternatives.The questions may involve completinga sentence, where you are given the firstpart of a sentence and then choose thebest way to complete it from the options.There could be complete questions, whereyou will be asked to choose the optionthat best answers them.The questions are in the same order as theinformation in the reading text: that is, theanswer to the first question in this questiontype will be located in the text before theanswer to the second question, and so on.In this question type, you will be given anumber of statements and asked: ‘Do thefollowing statements agree with the views/claims of the writer?’. You will then select‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Not given’.It is important to understand the differencebetween ‘No’ and ‘Not given’. ‘No’ means that the views or claimsof the writer explicitly disagree withthe statement, i.e. the writer somewhereexpresses the view or makes a claimthat is opposite to the one given inthe question. ‘Not given’ means that the view or claimis neither confirmed nor contradicted.Any knowledge that you bring from outsidethe passage should not play a part whendeciding on your answers.How it worksThis question type assessesyour ability to recognise opinionsor ideas and is often used withdiscursive or argumentative texts. locate specific information withinthe lettered paragraphs/sectionsof a text, and to select the letters of the correctparagraphs/sections in the answersection.You may be asked to find: specific details,an example, a reason, a description, acomparison, a summary or an explanation.You will not necessarily need to findinformation in every paragraph/section ofthe text, but there may be more than onepiece of information that you need to locatein a given paragraph/section. When this isthe case, you will be told that you can useany letter more than once.This question type can be used with anytext as it tests a wide range of readingskills, from locating detail to recognisinga summary or definition.How it worksMatching information assessesyour ability to scan for specificwords and phrases.

Reading testMatching headingsIn this question type, you are given a listof headings. A heading will refer to themain idea of the paragraph or section ofthe text. You will then be asked to matchthe heading to the correct paragraphsor sections. There will always be moreheadings than there are paragraphs orsections, so that some headings willnot be used. It is also possible that someparagraphs or sections may not beincluded in the task. This question typeis used with texts that contain paragraphsor sections with clearly defined themes.How it worksMatching features will assess yourability to recognise relationships andconnections between facts in thetext and your ability to recogniseopinions and theories. It may beused with factual information oropinion-based discursive texts.You will need to be able to skimand scan the text in order to locatethe required information and toread for detail.How it worksMatching headings will test yourability to recognise the main ideaor theme in the paragraphs orsections of a text, and to distinguishmain ideas from supporting ones.Matching featuresFor this question type, you are requiredto match a set of statements or piecesof information to a list of options. Theoptions are a group of features fromthe text and are identified by letters.For example, you may be required tomatch different research findings to a listof researchers, or characteristics to agegroups, events to historical periods, etc.It is possible that some options will not beused and that others may be used morethan once. The instructions will inform youif options may be used more than once.Matching sentence endingsIn this question type, you are given the firsthalf of a sentence based on the readingtext and asked to choose the best way tocomplete it from a list of possible options.There will be more options to choosefrom than there are questions. You willthen have to choose the correct optionto complete the sentence. The questionsare in the same order as the informationin the passage: that is, the answer to thefirst question in this group will be foundbefore the answer to the second question,and so on.How it worksMatching sentence endings willassess your ability to understandthe main ideas within a sentence.13Sentence completionIn this question type, you will completesentences in a given number of words takenfrom the reading text. You must type youranswer in the answer box. The instructionswill make it clear how many words/numberstest takers should use in their answers, e.g.‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage’, ‘ONEWORD ONLY’ or ‘NO MORE THAN TWOWORDS’.If you write more than the number of wordsasked for, you will lose marks. Numberscan be written using figures or words.Hyphenated words count as single words.The questions are in the same order asthe information in the passage: that is,the answer to the first question in thisgroup will be found before the answerto the second question, and so on.How it worksMatching sentence endingsassesses your ability to locatedetail/specific information.

14IELTS Preparation GuideQuestion types continuedSummary, note, table,flowchart completionWhere a list of answers is provided, theymost frequently consist of a single word.In this question type, you are given asummary of a section of the text andare required to complete it with informationdrawn from the text. The summary willusually be of only one part of the passagerather than the whole.Because this task type often relates toprecise factual information, it is oftenused with descriptive texts.The given information may be inthe form of: several connected sentences of text(referred to as a summary) several notes (referred to as notes) a table with some of its cells empty orpartially empty (referred to as a table) a series of boxes or steps linked byarrows to show a sequence of events,with some of the boxes or steps emptyor partially empty (referred to as aflowchart).The answers will not necessarily occurin the same order as in the text. However,they will usually come from one sectionrather than the entire text.There are two variations of this task type.You may be asked either:1.to select words from the text or;2. to select from a list of answers.Where words have to be selected fromthe passage, the instructions will makeit clear how many words/numbers testtakers should use in their answers, e.g.‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage’, ‘ONEWORD ONLY’ or ‘NO MORE THAN TWOWORDS’. If you write more than thenumber of words asked for, you willlose marks.Numbers can be written using figuresor words. Hyphenated words count assingle words.How it worksSummarising assesses your abilityto understand details and/or themain ideas of a section of text. Inthe variations involving a summaryor notes, you will need to be awareof the type of word(s) that will fit intoa given gap (for example, whether anoun is needed, or a verb, etc.).Diagram label completionIn this question type, you are requiredto complete labels on a diagram, whichrelates to a description contained in thetext. The instructions will make it clearhow many words/numbers test takersshould use in their answers, e.g. ‘NOMORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage’,‘ONE WORD ONLY’ or ‘NO MORE THANTWO WORDS’.If you write more than the number of wordsasked for, you will lose marks. Numberscan be written using figures or words.Hyphenated words count as single words.The answers do not necessarily occur inorder in the passage. However, they willusually come from one section rather thanthe entire text.The diagram may be of some type ofmachine, or of parts of a building or ofany other element that can be representedpictorially. This task type is often usedwith texts describing processes or withdescriptive texts.How it worksDiagram label completion assessesyour ability to understand a detaileddescription and to relate it toinformation presented in the formof a diagram.Short-answer questionsIn this question type, you will answerquestions that usually relate to factualinformation about details in the text.This is most likely to be used with a textthat contains a lot of factual informationand detail.You must then type your answers in wordsor numbers, using words from the text.The instructions will make it clear howmany words/numbers test takers shoulduse in their answers, e.g. ‘NO MORE THANTHREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER fromthe passage’, ‘ONE WORD ONLY’ or ‘NOMORE THAN TWO WORDS’. If you writemore than the number of words asked for,you will lose marks.Numbers can be written using figuresor words. Hyphenated words count assingle words. The questions are in thesame order as the information in the text.How it worksShort-answer questions will assessyour ability to locate and understandprecise information in the text.

Writing testWriting test15a b cQuestion types and tipsWriting test format: IELTS Academic, 60 minutesThere are two pa

Speaking English. An IELTS preparation course: This can help you familiarise yourself with the types of tasks included in an IELTS test. Ask your local IELTS test centre for more information about a preparation course near you. Book your IELTS test and get FREE access to an online prep