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Simone Braverman

Simone Braverman is the founder of IELTS-Blog.com and the author of several renowned IELTS preparation books, including Ace the IELTS, Target Band 7, the High Scorer's Choice practice test series, and IELTS Success Formula. Since 2005, Simone has been committed to making IELTS preparation accessible and effective through her books and online resources. Her work has helped 100,000's of students worldwide achieve their target scores and live their dream lives. When Simone isn't working on her next IELTS book, video lesson, or coaching, she enjoys playing the guitar or rollerblading.

IELTS exam in Brunei – May 2009 (Academic Module)

This report is about a recent IELTS exam in Brunei – thanks to A for letting us know. Pay attention to the cue card in Speaking – apparently some questions can come as a complete surprise!

Listening test

Section 1: reservation through telephone regarding moving home.
Section 2: a talk about Fire training
Section 3: a discussion about a Horse Shoe crab

The 1st and 2nd were okay for me, but the 3rd was very confusing. The way the presenter spoke was very fast and it sounded like “bla..bla.. bla” to me.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)
We had a bar chart of population of six countries in percentages for 2000 and prediction of 2050.

Writing task 2 (essay)
Reading books can develop our imagination better than watching TV, do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

Cue card

I did the speaking fluently but was a bit shocked at the 2nd stage, where I was asked to talk about
“WHO WOULD BE THE FAMOUS PERSON YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET IN YOUR LIFE”.

Honestly, in my whole life I never thought about any famous person I’d like to meet. This question made me waste my time just to think of who the person would be. I panicked and lost a chance to write down some points to talk about. I still managed to say something but not as good as I could if the question was a different one.

Discussion

The follow-up questions were:
– Would you like to be famous?
– What is the most important thing the famous person you mentioned before should do, to make them a good role model?
– What is the difference between actors/actresses nowadays and in the past in you country?
– How and why your parents liked them back then, compared to the actors nowadays?
– When was your last holiday and what did you do?

IELTS exam in the UK, London – May 2009 (Academic Module)

Huge thanks to our friend M from London, for telling us everything about his recent IELTS exam. I hope you score well!

Listening test

Section 1: about a club facilities
Section 2: a trip to some caves
Section 3: two students discussing with their tutor the project and a trip to caves
Section 4: about airports.

Reading test

Passage 1: about a good way to spot a liar.
Passage 2: theories about people who are right-handed and left-handed.
Passage 3: To be honest I cannot remember it. I could not manage to answer properly, because the time passed too quickly.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)
Bar chart compares an average number of pupils in a class in primary and secondary schools in different countries.

Writing Task 2 (essay)
Some people think that happiness is only caused by financial success, others think that there are other factors involved in happiness. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview
– Give me your full name.
– Where are you from?
– Tell me about your hometown or city.
– Where are people usually swim in area where you are live?
– Have you ever tried to swim (if not, why not)?
– Do you think swimming is good for people?

Cue card
Describe a period in your life you enjoyed,you should say:
– When this period was?
– Where were you living?
– What did happen then?
– Explain why you enjoyed this period?

Discussion
I was asked about people’s attitude towards the elderly in my country. Then another topic came up:
– Do you go to parties?
– What are you do not like about parties?