Skip to content

Recent IELTS exams

Real students tell about their recent IELTS exams: IELTS questions, topics, tasks, answers.

Update from an Academic IELTS exam, Australia

This IELTS update is brought to you by Lucienne from Australia.

Listening test

Section 1. An ad in the newspaper from someone selling different furniture. A woman called and asked for measurements of a bed, a mattress, a cabinet, etc.
Section 2. At a museum someone was giving information on openings hours, possibilities for school/group tours, etc.
Section 3. A woman was giving information on how rangers manage a nature park. Questions involved some tables, where you had to fill in the gaps.
Section 4. Don’t remember.

Reading test

Passage 1. A text on otters, where they live, the difference between certain breeds of otters, how they waterproof their coats, etc.
Passage 2. Whether or not parents should be involved in schooling of their children, or be active in the school. Different opinions from various researchers. The text argued that many people claim good results from parent involvement, but there is hardly any real evidence for it.
Passage 3. The task asked you to match the correct headings to paragraphs in a text on things such as satellite science in Asian countries. There were more headings than paragraphs. This one took me by surprise, but apparently I did okay.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a report)

We had 4 line graphs to describe, I forgot what they were about.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Do you think scientific development has a positive or a negative effect on the quality of food? What is your opinion?

Speaking test

Cue Card

Talk about a letter you received recently. Please say

– what it was about,
– who sent it,
– why it was important to you.

Discussion

– Are letters important historical material?
– Will things change for historians when people stop writing letters?
– Now people are mainly using email and other digital communication means, will they replace handwritten letters?

Update from a General IELTS exam, Australia

This update became available thanks to our anonymous Aussie friend:

Listening test

Section 1. About repairing a room.
Section 2. Art Room.
Section 3. About a particular book.
Section 4. Mining.

Reading test

Passage 1. Holiday destination.
Passage 2. Local services.
Passage 3. Student services in a certain college.
Passage 4. Introduction and history of a college.
Passage 5. Resources in New Zealand.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a letter)

You are unable to attend to your friend’s wedding in Britain. In this letter
– Tell her what you think about her wedding plan
– Apologize for not attending
– Suggest a date for future meeting

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

In some countries, people nowadays move from the countryside to live in the city, while in other countries, people move from cities to the countryside. Explain what is happening in your country and why? What is your opinion about this trend?

Speaking test

Interview

– Talk about secondary education.
– What was your favorite subject in your high school?

Cue Card

Talk about an advertisement that you recently saw.

Discussion

– Do you think that government has controlled the advertisement too much?
– Do you think that it should be controlled?
– How much do you think it should be controlled?