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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 Speaking test in South Korea, with answers – November 2022

Yesterday we shared the questions from an IELTS exam in South Korea. Here are some high-scoring model answers, to give you an idea how to respond to those questions:

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

1. Where do you live (in which city)?

I live in Durban, which the business hub of Kwa Zulu Natal, and it’s a large bustling metropolis.

2. What do you like about the city you live in?

Well, what I really love about this place is that it is a melting pot of cultures, and this is most notable in the downtown area. You can find countless examples of a unique fusion of cultures and traditions in everything, from the food to the architecture there. I suppose it’s because people from all over the world, belonging to various religions and ethnicities, have made it their home.

3. Compared to the city you lived in when you were young, what are its advantages and disadvantages?

My hometown was much smaller and therefore much more peaceful and quieter, which is in stark contrast to Durban. It’s always noisy here and people are always busy during the day or socialising at night. It really is a city that never sleeps. On the bright side, one of the biggest plus points of living here is that I have access to better facilities like world-class healthcare education.

4. What do you usually do on your birthday?

I hardly ever celebrate my birthday these days, and, in all honesty, I sometimes even forget that it’s my birthday. This is because it usually falls on a weekday when I am busy with work and other mundane things. My mom and dad send me their wishes by text during the day, and we have our traditional family birthday phone call in the evening and chat about different things, and mostly catch up on all the things in each other’s lives that we missed recently.

5. What did you do on your birthday when you were young?

Birthdays as a kid were a whole different ballgame. My parents would go out of their way to throw extravagant parties for me and my little sister and would invite all the kids in the neighbourhood. Each year we had a different party theme, based on whatever we were interested in at the time. Basically, all we did on our birthday was have fun and eat cake!

6. Do you feel differently about your birthday now, compared to when you were young?

Yes, it doesn’t hold the same feelings of excitement as it used to. I would count the days till my birthday and beg my parents to get me a ton of presents, but now birthdays serve as a reminder that I am getting older. Still, I do think of it as a day to be grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened to me so far.

IELTS Report, topic: Bar chart describing the spending on R&D in 5 countries between 2001 and 2011

This is a model answer for an Academic Writing Task 1 from the IELTS exam in Iran, shared recently. This response is likely to get Band 8 or 8.5 in IELTS.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The bar chart below describes the gross domestic spending on Research and Development in five countries between 2001 and 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words

IELTS Writing Task 1 Bar Chart of spending on Research and Development in five countries between 2001 and 2011

Band 8.5 Model Answer

The bar chart describes the gross domestic expenditure on research and development by China, France, Spain, the UK and the USA during the years 2001, 2005 and 2011.

Overall, it can be seen that there was a general upward trend in the spending of all of 5 countries, albeit to varying degrees.

The USA spent the most on R&D in all three years, with the annual expenditure slightly increasing from 2.5% in 2001 to 2.8% of the country’s GDP in 2011. On the other end of the spectrum, Spain spent the least, starting at just below 1% in 2001 and finishing at around 2.3%.

China’s spending grew more than that of other countries, about 0.5% each year, and increased from about 0.9% in 2001 to around 2.8% in 2011. The remaining two countries, France and the UK, showed a similar pattern and their spending held relatively steady throughout the decade, at around 2% and 1.5% of GDP, respectively.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 8