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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 Abu Dhabi, UAE – February 2009 (Academic Module)

Thanks to B. from Abu Dhabi, UAE we know this much about a recent Academic IELTS exam there:

Listening test

Section 1 was about an employee speaking over the phone to an agent, looking for a job.
Section 3 was about nomads in Africa.

Reading test

Passage 1 was about the invention of writing (a difficult one!)
Passage 2 was about bees
Passage 3 was about the invention of compass

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)
There was a pie chart showing the percentages of tourists in Australian resorts by countries of origin: Asian 35%, European 30%, American 18%, Other 10%, etc. There was also a table that showed their average length of stay and type of accommodation.

Writing Task 2 (essay)
The topic was about youth dropping out of school and thus presenting a problem to their society. We were asked to make suggestions on how to solve that problem.

Speaking test

In the interview there were questions about my house and the type of music that I listen to, and the cue card was about a person I am impressed with.

IELTS exam in Mexico – February 2009 (Academic Module)

Our friend from Mexico sent this update right after his Academic IELTS exam. Thanks, I!

Listening test

Listening was pretty similar to exercises found online at various sites. I clearly remember there was two “no more than tree words” sections, and two “filling up a table” sections, and one about filling something like a school data card, and at least a couple of multiple choice questions.

Reading test

The first passage was about the Tea and the Industrial Revolution.
The second was about research of different scientists (mentioning names) about children and the developing of their mental abilities.
The third passage was about the developing of the tree/wood industry in England, and how now areas are being protected to preserve forests.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)
We had a bar graph of eight countries (Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, China, etc.) that exported clothes to the European Union, comparing their cost per kilogram in 1997 and 2003.

Writing task 2 (Essay)
Nowadays many countries have people from many different nationalities living together.
What do you think this happens?
What are the positive and negative aspects of this?

Speaking test

Interview
– Do you work or do you study?
– What kind of activities do you do at work?
-Do you rather work on your own or with people?
-What do you like the most about your work?
– What don’t you like about your work?
– What kind of transportation do you use?
– How often do you go out with your friends?
– When was the last time you went out with your friends?

Cue card
Describe a situation in which you faced a traffic jam. You should say
– when it happened,
– how did you feel about it and
– what consequences it had for you.

Discussion
Do you get stuck in traffic jams a lot?
How do you think traffic jams affect the environment?
What do you think about hiring cabs?