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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.

Goodbye 2022… Welcome 2023!

Happy New Year 2023!

Hi everyone, this is Simone. Today is the last day of 2022, which means I have one last thing to do, before I can go on and celebrate the New Year. It’s been a tradition for many years now, for me to take a look back, see what I’ve accomplished this year, and think about everything I’d love to do in the New Year.

In 2022 IELTS-Blog.com turned 17 years old! And what a year it’s been.

After collating all the new features, products, services and everything that came into existence in 2022, no wonder the year went past in a flash – me and the team, we haven’t sat down for a minute 🙂

So, as a 2022 recap, here’s goes:

The IELTS prep tools we created for you

To help you study for the IELTS test easily, on paper, computer or your mobile phone, we

  • completely redesigned the website
  • released a new mobile app for practice on iPhone and Android
  • created the IELTS Online Prep platform for a very close simulation of IELTS on Computer
  • updated our print books and e-books to reflect the latest changes and trends in IELTS exams
  • opened a brand new IELTS VIP Club, to deliver model answers for the latest IELTS questions to the VIP members. The minute we opened doors, people from all over the world started joining and now we have members from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK, Ireland, Brazil, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam, Kuwait, Oman, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and other countries. Having processed Order #868 last night, I am feeling very optimistic about 2023!

Numbers don’t lie

Knowledge is power, and in 2022 we proudly empowered 2.6 million people who visited IELTS-Blog.com and read our blog posts 6 million times (!)

We delivered over 11 million emails with IELTS questions, advice and preparation materials to our subscribers this year.

To make sure you know what questions might come up in your exam, every day of the week we either posted an exam update with the latest IELTS questions, or a model answer – so that you know how to a respond.

And our efforts paid off – just look at these happy IELTS competition winners who achieved outstanding results!

Our IELTS community knows no bounds

Social media has long morphed from its original purpose to something that serves other needs today, and so many people appreciate an opportunity to learn something new via their social channels. Our Facebook following is 423K-people strong, and on Twitter we’re followed by 39K users. On YouTube we’ve got over 10K subscribed and many more watching our videos, and on Instagram our following is about 5.6K (but we’re relatively new to the platform, so I am sure the best is yet to come!)

Many people are searching for their purpose in life. I am blessed to have found mine – and it is to help YOU. I am here to break IELTS down for you, to explain how to approach it, and show you how to achieve your target score. So let me teach you how to calmly and confidently study, take the test, pass it and step into your bright future sooner.

To everyone who read our blog posts in 2022 – I wish you the IELTS score of your dreams in 2023.

To all the teachers, IELTS tutors and volunteers helping people pass their IELTS exams – I hope your students get amazing results in the New Year.

You can be 100% certain that in 2023, just like the 17 years before it, my team and I will continue to help you, and there will be new IELTS books, practice tests and services.

Just keep coming back; we’ll make it worthwhile.

Thanks again for being part of IELTS-Blog.com family in 2022. Thank you for your friendship and kindness, for your feedback and ideas, for sharing your knowledge and for spreading the word about IELTS-Blog.com.

Here’s to making 2023 your BEST year ever!

Happy New Year from Simone and the entire IELTS-Blog.com Team

IELTS Speaking test in Pakistan, with answers (Part 3)

Here are some high-scoring Part 3 model answers for the Speaking Test that was shared by a student from Pakistan. The answers show a good way to respond to these questions.

Speaking test

Part 3 (Discussion)

1. Is there a difference between old and young people’s lifestyle?

When you think – really think – about it, the main difference is that older people have more time to do what they enjoy, but they usually don’t have as much energy to do these activities. And most elderly people end up living a quiet life with a gentle daily routine. On the other hand, youngsters usually have to follow a strict routine set by their parents or by their school, and they have very little time to pursue activities that they actually enjoy. It’s a very interesting paradox.

2. What kind of lifestyle do younger people prefer?

I think the youth of the current generation mostly interact online and a lot of their time is spent on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. This means they have a sedentary lifestyle with very little physical activity. When we were young, we spent all day outside and our moms had to beg us to come inside. Unfortunately, these days the exact opposite is true, and we have to plead with our teenagers to spend some time outside in the sun.

3. Do younger and older people choose to live in the same places?

This is something that I haven’t given much thought to, but I would have to say that older people tend to live in places that are less crowded and more laid back. Young people always want to be in the middle of the action, and they choose places that are much livelier and more exciting.

4. Why do older people prefer to live in quiet places?

As I said before, I think that older people prefer to have a more peaceful lifestyle and because of this most of them move away from the hustle and bustle of city life and settle in the suburbs.

5. Why do younger people prefer big cities to the countryside?

Young people often live in busier areas like the city, and I think this has a lot to do with the fact that cities have more work opportunities, they don’t have to commute as much and such places usually have a vibrant nightlife, which is appealing to the younger working generation.

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city?

Well, having access to better facilities like healthcare and education is a major plus point, and to add to that it is often easier to find good employment opportunities in a large city than it is in a small town. This is mainly because big-name brands and companies usually operate in cities. However, due to these advantages, many people flock to the city in search of a better life and this leads to overcrowding and traffic congestion. It can sometimes take hours just to travel a few kilometres because of this.

Read more model answers on the VIP Club website