Focus On IELTS (Tài Liệu Luyện Thi IELTS)là một giáo trình hoàn chỉnh hướng đến việc trang bị kiến thức ngôn ngữ và rèn luyện kỹ năng thi IELTS chứ không chỉ đơn thuần cung cấp các bài thi thực hành. Một phần giới thiệu vắn tắt về bài thi IELTS với 20 units luyện thi với các đề tài đa dạng thuộc nhóm các chủ đề thường xuất hiện trong bài thi IELTS như using energy, time management, leisure activities, communication system v.v...
► F O C U S O N i SUE O’CONNELL ' , • • K' Map of the book ► T h e IELTS T e s t o v e r v i e w L e a d -in 1 R e a d in g Using energy m W ritin g L is te n in g S p e a k in g V o c a b u la r y Working out Talking about personal W ord partners General reading strategies; summary completion; T/F/DNS interests (Parts 1, 2) ► W o rk o u t page page ► F o o d fo r th o u g h t Comparing and contrasting (Part 3) IB s page 16 Healthy eating gp? Interpreting information from diagrams (Task 1) Graphs Paragraphing (Task 2) Cohesion; logical and grammatical links ► L o c a tio n Identifying cities is e v e r y t h i n g Students' Union survey (Section 1) Multiple choice Urban problems (Part 3) Describing places (Parts 1, 2) Spot the error (Section 2) N ote completion page 24 Location is everything ► H av es a n d h a v e -n o ts page 32 W orld quiz Interpreting and comparing data (Task 1) Charts and tables Paragraphing (Task 2) Paragraph structure; presenting solutions to problems Time management Spot the error Error Hit List Healứiy eating Matching; sentence completion Eating habits (Part 1) Wasting energy (Section 3) Labelling a diagram; table completion; short answers Case study Sỡo Paulo (Section 4) Short answers; note completion H urry sickness Matching; multiple choice; summary completion Distinguishing fact from Error Hit List Personal priorities (Part 3) opinion ► T im e o u t page 48 Leisure activities (Task 2) Analysing the question; providing evidence and supporting points; argument-led approach ► T he sound Musical instruments Sưucturing an argument Leisure activities (Parts 2, 3) Describing people Spot the error Error Hit List page 56 The sound o f music F/DNS; sentence completion; matching ► W h a t ’s o n Topic vocabulary; pronunciation: word stress o f m u s ic Student interviews (Section 1) N ote completion Ten ways to slow down your life (Section 2) N ote completion Your tastes in music (Part 1) Describing objects (Part 2) Dealing with unknown vocabulary; linking expressions; compound words Discussing cultural Spot the error Error Hit List page 64 The sound o f music F/DNS; sentence completion; matching Describing tables (Task 1) Interpreting statistics; organising and presenting data Presenting and justifying on opinion (Task 2) Expressing disagreement; discussing implications Mus/c festival (Section 1) Multiple choice; table completion; short answers The Museum o f Anthropology (Section 2) Short answers; labelling a diagram; sentence and table completion attractions (Part 2) Describing an event (Part 2) Lead-in ► W ater, w a te r everyw here W ater use L is te n in g W r it in g R e a d in g page S p e a k in g V o c a b u la r y W ater issues (Part 3) Derived adjectives Spot the error Error Hit List 72 W ater: Earths most precious resource Skimming/scanning The Ecology o f Hollywood Table and sentence completion; classification; multiple choice Natural hazards Describing a process Predicting a volcanic Sequencing (Parts 2, 3) (Task I) Introductory sentences; marking stages eruption (Section 3) Expressing reasons and giving opinions Labelling a diagram Tsunami (Section 4) Labelling a diagram; note completion; multiple choice Memory test mm page 88 11 ►Use it o r lose it I Sleep Prediction; skimming/ scanning; reading for detail Memories (Parts 2, 3) Word families Schooldays (Parts 1, 2) Teachers and children (Part 3) Error Hit List Use it or lose it Multiple choice; sentence completion; matching; T/F/DNS 12 ►You live and learn page 95 Presenting ơn opinion (Task 2) Thesis-led approach Diagrams and tables (Task 1) Identifying key information; avoiding repetition Topic vocabulary; pronunciation: word stress 13 ►Bones t o phones Communication systems The golden rules o f listening (Section 2) Multiple choice; note completion M aking the most o f your m em ory (Section 4) N ote and sentence completion; multiple choice page 104 1Communication devices Recognising participle clauses Comparing and contrasting Introducing (Part 2) example s Bones to phones Matching; multiple choice 14 ►The p r o p e r channels page 112 Dealing with different data (Task 1) Beginning and ending (Task 2) Sending messages; pronunciation: silent letters; sounds 15 Beyond gra v ity Space quiz i a Ỉ M edia Survey (Section 1) N ote completion; short answers; multiple choice Couch potatoes (Section 3) Labelling a diagram; multiple choice Communication problems (Part 3) Error Hit List The Internet (Part 2) Exam practice page 122 Surviving in space T/F/DNS; multiple choice; labelling a diagram; matching The final frontier (Part 3) Parts of speech; word partners R e a d in g L e a d -in 16 ► Falling forw ard W ritin g L is te n in g S p e a k in g V o c a b u la r y Explaining how something Reality or science fiction? (Section 3) N ote completion The techno-house (Section 4) Multiple choice; labelling a diagram; table completion Predicting the future (Part 3) Personal goals (Part 2) Spot the error Error Hit List On four wheels (Part 3) More or less? Tourism Error Hit List page 128 Predictions works (Task 1) Summarising sentences (Task 2) ► A v o id in g gridlock 17 Driver types page 136 Smashing stereotypes Short answers; classification; T/F/DNS Avoiding Gridlock Matching; sentence and diagram completion ► W is h you w e re here 18 page 144 Presenting the solution to Tourist destinations; pronunciation: diphthongs a problem (Task 2) Dealing with different data (Task 1) ►Face value 19 Facial expressions Face the facts Skimming/scanning; reading for detail; cohesive features Face Short answers; table completion; multiple choice Exam practice Face the facts (Part 3) Exam practice (Parts 2, 3) Describing an object (Task I) page /68 ► Sample answ er sheets ► Key la n g u a g e bank page 184 page 186 ► W r i t i n g pra ctic e b an k page 20 A n s w e r keys and a d d i t i o n a l m aterial Sample re p o rt fo rm ^ Index o f language W ord families: dependent prepositions page 160 Uses of photography; pronunciation: word stress ^ Practice t e s t Time o ff (Parts 1, 2, 3) page 152 ► T h ro u g h the lens Worldwide Student Projects (Section 2) Short answers; table and flow-chart completion The end o f oil (Section 3) Table and sentence completion; labelling a diagram; multiple choice page 222 page 223 page 216 I Photography courses (Section I) Table completion; multiple choice History o f cinema (Section 4) Table and flow-chart completion; short answers Practice interview (Parts 1,2 ,3 ) Error Hit List The IELTS Test: overview error List Introduction A c a d e m ic R e a d in g IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System The test consists of four modules - Listening, Speaking, Reading and W riting - and takes two hours and 45 minutes to complete ĨSS? List nilies: It jns This book provides preparation for the Listening and Speaking modules, which all candidates take, and also for the Academic Reading and W riting modules, which are normally taken by candidates intending to use English for study purposes General Training versions of these modules are also available and, while much of the material in the book would provide useful practice, there is no specific exam preparation for these modules The test result is published in the form of a report, which places candidates on a scale o f one to nine according to language ability (see page 7) There is a score for each of the four modules and also an overall score Most universities and colleges require an IELTS score of 6.0 or more, but it’s important to check the specific requirem ent for your intended course o f study IELTS can be taken at test centres in over 100 countries Test dates are not fixed, and tests are normally available throughout the year in most areas Further information and a list of local centres is a v a ila b le on the IELTS w e b site — www.ielts.org T im e: 60 m in u te s There are three reading passages and a total of 40 questions, which test a range of reading skills Passages come from magazines, journals, books and newspapers, and the topics are of general interest Texts and tasks become more difficult as the test progresses There is no extra time for transferring your answers to the answer sheet A c a d e m ic W ritin g T im e: 60 m in u te s There are two tasks, one of at least 150 words and the other of at least 250 words In Task 1, you have to look at a diagram or table and present the information in your own words In Task 2, you have to present and justify an opinion or present the solution to a problem S p e a k in g T im e: 1 -1 m in u te s This interview between the candidate and an examiner has three main parts In Part 1, you are asked general questions about yourself, your home or family, your job or studies, etc In Part 2, you are given a topic and allowed one minute to prepare You then have to talk on the topic for between one and two minutes Part is a discussion of m ore abstract issues related to the topic in Part List IELTS modules in brief IELTS modules: details L isten in g T im e: 30 m in u te s There are four sections and a total of 40 questions, testing different listening skills You will hear a variety of recorded texts, including monologues and dialogues Texts and tasks become more difficult as the test progresses The tape is played only once, but you are allowed tim e to read the questions beforehand There is an extra ten m inutes at the end for you to transfer your answers to the answer sheet Listening The first two sections are concerned with social needs In Section 1, you will hear a conversation in a social situation, for example, two friends discussing holiday plans or an interview at an accommodation agency In Section 2, you will hear a monologue on a general subject, for example, a short talk on healthy eating or tourist information The last two sections are concerned with educational or training contexts In Section 3, you will hear a conversation between up to four people, for example, a tutorial discussion between tutor and student, or several students discussing an assignment In Section 4, you will hear a T H E IELTS T E S T : O V E R V IE W monologue, for example, a lecture or talk of general academic interest The recordings may include a range of accents including British, American or Australian English For this reason, different accents are used on the tapes accompanying this course, and you can also help yourself further by listening to as wide a variety of English as possible, on the radio or television, for example QUESTIONS Questions include multiple choice, short-answer questions, completion and matching tasks, and diagram labelling Each one requires a specific approach and specific skills, and these are outlined in Lie Exam briefing boxes and Task approach sections in the book You are allowed an extra ten minutes at the end of the test to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet NB Take care when transferring your answers - you will lose marks if you make spelling or gram m ar mistakes MARKING One mark is awarded for each of the 40 questions, and the result is translated into a score on the IELTS nine-band scale (see page 7) Reading The three reading passages contain up to 2,700 words, which means that you will need to read efficiently, using appropriate reading skills for each task, in order to complete the paper in the time allowed The course includes a varied selection of reading texts, and you can help yourself further by reading from as wide a range of sources as possible, such as newspapers, magazines and journals QUESTIONS Questions include multiple choice, short-answer questions, completion and matching tasks, and Yes/No/Not Given or True/False/Does Not Say Each one requires a specific approach and specific skills, and these are outlined in the Exam briefing boxes and Task approach sections in this book MARKING One mark is awarded for each of the 40 questions, and the result is translated into a score on the IELTS nine-band scale (see page 7) Writing There are two tasks The instructions specify the m inim um num ber of words for each task and also recom m end the am ount of time you should spend on each one It’s im portant to follow these guidelines, because Task carries more weight in marking than Task 1, and you will need to give the appropriate time to each part in order to get ỉ*ood marks Answers must be written on the answer sheet They m ust be written in full, not in note form Task 1: You are given a diagram or table of some kind and you have to present the information in your own words For example, you may have to consider a set of statistics and then write a report outlining the key features; you may have to study a diagram of a machine and explain how it works; or you may have to look at a flow chart and describe the main stages in a process You have to write at least 150 words for Task and you are recommended to spend 20 m inutes on it Task 2: You are given brief details of an opinion, an argum ent or a problem, and you have to write an essay in response For example, you may have to consider an opinion in relation to evidence, or weigh up the pros and cons of an argum ent before presenting your own view on the matter You may also have to discuss various aspects of a problem and then outline your ideas for solving it You have to write at least 250 words for Task and you are recommended to spend 40 m inutes on it NB You will lose marks if you write less than the required num ber of words MARKING Task scripts are assessed on the following criteria: • • You m ust write your answers on an answer sheet, but there is no extra tim e for this NB Take care when transferring your answers —you will lose marks if you make spelling or gram m ar mistakes • Task Fulfilment; Have you followed the instructions exactly? Have you given a clear, accurate and relevant description of the information? C o h e r e n c e a n d C o h e s io n : Is y o u r writing well organised? Are sentences logically linked? Vocabulary and Sentence Structure: Have you used a variety of appropriate vocabulary, and are your sentences well constructed? T H E IELTS T E S T : O V E R V IE W Task scripts are assessed on performance in the following areas: • Arguments, Ideas and Evidence: Have you evaluated arguments and ideas? Have you compared and contrasted evidence and opinions? • Communicative Quality: Have you presented your ideas clearly and coherently and organised your writing logically? • Sentence Structure: Have you used a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures? Is your writing reasonably accurate? The overall result is translated into a score on the IELTS nine-band scale (see right) THE IELTS NINE-BAND SCALE Band - Expert User H as fully o p e tio n al c o m m a n d o f th e language: ap p ro p ria te , a ccu rate and fluent w ith com plete u n d e rsta n d in g Band - Very Good User H as fully o p e tio n a l c o m m a n d o f th e language w ith on ly occasional u n sy stem atic inaccuracies and in ap p ro p riacies M isu n d e rstan d in g s m ay o ccu r in u n fa m ilia r situ atio n s H andles com plex detailed a rg u m e n ta tio n well Band - Good User H as o p e tio n a l c o m m a n d o f th e language, th o u g h w ith occasional inaccuracies, in a p p ro p ria cies and Speaking The interview is in three parts Part Introduction and interview (4-5 minutes) In the first part, the examiner will ask a num ber of general questions Be prepared to introduce yourself, to say where you come from and to talk about such topics as your family or home, your country or city, your job or studies, your interests or hobbies Part Individual long tu rn (3-4 minutes) In this part, you are given a card outlining a particular topic and asked to talk about the topic for one to two minutes You have one m inute to prepare and make notes if you wish Be prepared to describe people, places or events and to explain their significance to you Part Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes) In the last part, the examiner asks questions linked to the topic in Part and develops a discussion of more abstract issues Be prepared to listen carefully and respond appropriately, to express opinions and preferences and give reasons m isu n d e rsta n d in g s in som e situ atio n s G enerally han d les com plex language well an d u n d e rsta n d s detailed reasoning Band - Competent User Has generally effective c o m m a n d o f th e language despite som e inaccuracies, in a p p ro p ria c ies and m isu n d e rsta n d in g s C an use a n d u n d e rsta n d fairly com plex language, p a rticu la rly in fam iliar situations Band - Modest User H as p artia l c o m m a n d o f th e language, co p in g w ith overall m ea n in g in m o st situ a tio n s, th o u g h is likely to m ake m any m istakes S hould be able to han d le basic c o m m u n ic a tio n in ow n field Band - Limited User Basic c o m p eten ce is lim ited to fam iliar situ atio n s H as fre q u e n t p ro b lem s in u n d e rsta n d in g and expression Is n o t able to use com plex language Band - Extremely Limited User Conveys a n d u n d e rsta n d s only general m ean in g in very fam iliar situ atio n s F requent break d o w n s in MARKING c o m m u n ic a tio n occur Performance is assessed on the following criteria: Band - Intermittent User • Fluency and Coherence: Do you express ideas and opinions clearly and coherently, without long hesitations? • Lexical Resource: Do you use a wide range of vocabulary? • Grammatical Range and A c c u c y : Do you use a wide range of structures and make only a few m inor mistakes? • Pronunciation: Are you easy to understand? Do you use English pronunciation features naturally? N o real c o m m u n ic a tio n is possible except for the The overall result is translated into a score on the IELTS nine-band scale (see right) N o assessable in fo rm a tio n provided m o st basic in fo rm a tio n using isolated w ords or s h o rt fo rm u la e in fam iliar situ a tio n s an d to m eet im m ed iate needs H as great difficulty in u n d e rsta n d in g spoken an d w ritte n English Band - Non User Essentially has no ability to use th e language bevond possibly a few isolated w ords Band - Did not attempt the test TH E FE EL-G O O D FACTOR In this unit you will practise: E xam Focus • Talking about exercise and sporting activities Speaking: Parts 1, • Forming a general picture; reading fo r detail; dealing with unknown vocabulary R eading skills • Summary completion; True/False/Does N o t Say Reading: Exam tasks • Comparing and contrasting; vocabulary: w ord partners Speaking: Part Lead-in L ook at th e activ ities below W h ich y o u th in k uses th e m o st energy? P u t th e m in o rd e r -6 (1 — m o st energy) C heck y o u r answ ers o n page 216 W h a t c o n c lu sio n can you d raw fro m th e result? Focus on speaking Talking about personal interests S peaking m o d u le , Parts I and In Part I of the Speaking module the examiner will ask you questions about familiar topics such as your home or your family In Part 2, he/she will ask you to speak for one to two minutes on a particular topic You will have one minute to prepare ► P a rts I an d 2: In te rv ie w a n d W o rk w ith a p a rtn e r Individual long t u r n Take tu r n s asking a n d a n sw erin g th e q u e stio n s on page Before you begin, lo o k at th e Useful language b o x b elow th em W o rk o u t I W h at k ind o f exercise • • • d o you regularly? (W here and w hen?) d o you enjoy least? (Say why.) sh o u ld you m o re often? (Say why.) U seful language ( Well) I jog / go jogging I sw im at th e local p o o l o n a regular basis / m o st days / three T he th in g I ( really) hate / lo ath e is (P m afraid) I (just) can ’t stan d because I find it so boring / m onotonous, etc (A ctually) I o u g h t to w alk m o re I sh o u ld play te n n is m o re often b u t I always take th e bus because b u t I ’m always m ak in g excuses n o t to play tim es a week, etc N ow d iscuss th e follow ing q u estio n s W hy is exercise go o d for you? T h in k o f as m an y reasons as you can W h at form o f exercise w o u ld you suggest to so m e o n e w h o was very unfit? Focus on reading Working out M w w w w m R eading m o d u le In the IELTS Reading module, your reading skills will be tested through a variety of tasks It is important to remember however; that there is only a limited set of task-types: • • • • • Completion Matching True/False/Does Not Say or Yes/No/Not Given Multiple choice Labelling Each of these task-types will be introduced in detail, and you will be shown ways of dealing with each task effectively The general strategies set out in the section below, however, apply to all texts and task-types GENERAL READING STRATEGIES In o rd e r to co m p le te th e re a d in g m o d u le w ith in th e tim e lim it, y o u n eed to tack le each ta sk in th e m o st effective way R ead th e follow ing advice • • D o n ’t read th e w hole text in detail T his is unnecessary a n d wastes tim e D o look at the h ea d in g an d read th ro u g h th e text quickly T his will help you • to fo rm a general p ic tu re o f th e co n ten t D o stu d y th e q u estio n s an d id entify th e sections o f text you need to read in • detail D o n ’t w aste tim e try in g to u n d e rsta n d every w ord W hen necessary, try to ro u g h guess th e m ea n in g o f u n k n o w n w ords ... Section 2, you will hear a monologue on a general subject, for example, a short talk on healthy eating or tourist information The last two sections are concerned with educational or training contexts... vocabulary; pronunciation: word stress 13 ►Bones t o phones Communication systems The golden rules o f listening (Section 2) Multiple choice; note completion M aking the most o f your m em ory (Section... thought Focus on listening Students’ Union survey ► Section I Listening m odule, Section s I and The first tw o sections are concerned with social needs and everyday activities In Section I ,