TM* • • Advice from an experienced IELTS examiner • Scripts for all Listening passages • Model Speaking and Writing responses McGraw-Hill Education TM Practice Tests McGraw-Hill Education TM Practice Tests Monica Sorrenson New York I Chicago I San Francisco I Athens I London I Madrid Mexico City I Milan I New Delhi I Singapore I Sydney I Toronto Copyright© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publica tion may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher l ISBN MHID RHR/RHR l 978-0-07-184515-1 0-07-184515-1 e-ISBN 978-0-07-184517-5 e-MHID 0-07-184517-8 IELTS is a trademark of IELTS Partners, defined as the British Council, IELTS Australia Pty Ltd (solely owned by IDP Education Pty Ltd), and the University of Cambridge: Cambridge English Language Assessment These organizations were not involved in the production of, and not endorse, this product McGraw-Hill Education books are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us pages at www.mhprofessional.com CONTENTS Introduction vii The IELTS Quiz T he Listening Test and the Academic Reading Test T he Academic Writing Test and the Speaking Test _ What Do Strong Academic Writing and Speaking Candidates Do? What Are Some Differences Between the IELTS Bands? Description of the IELTS Bands Raw-Score Conversion Table for the Listening and Academic Reading Tests Listening and Reading Question Types 10 Question Types Used in the Listening Test Only 10 Question Types Used in Both the Listening and Reading Tests 10 Question Types Used in the Reading Test Only 12 Glossary � 15 Advice for the Listening Test · 18 Advice for the Academic Reading Test 20 Before You Do Test 22 Test 23 Listening 23 Reading 33 Writing 53 Speaking 55 Answers 57 Before You Do Test 68 Test 69 Listening 69 Reading 81 Writing 101 Speaking 103 Answers ;; 104 Test 115 Listening 115 Reading 121 Writing 131 Speaking 133 Answers 134 Test 143 Listening 143 Reading 149 Writing .- 159 Speaking 161 Answers 162 V Test 171 Listening 171 Reading 177 Writing 187 Speaking 189 Answers 190 Test 199 Listening : 199 Reading 205 Writing 217 Speaking 219 Answers 220 Answer Sheets 229 Listening/ Reading Answer Sheets for Tests 1-6 229-240 To access the online audio tracks that accompany the tests in this book, go to: www.mhe1ELTS6practicetests.com INTRODUCTION Welcome to this book The number of people around the world who now take the IELTS exam is astounding By work ing through this book, you'll be closer to your IELTS goal and your post-lELTS dream McGraw-Hill Education IELTS Practice Tests contains around 25 hours of material Its six practice tests develop exam technique, and its advice focuses on the Listening and the Academic Reading tests You'll best in IELTS if you use this book together with other mate rials, like McGraw-Hill Education IELTS, or with classes that improve your vocabulary, grammar, spoken fluency, pronunciation, academic writing style, and knowledge of the world Like many things in life, attitude counts with IELTS By that I don't mean preparing for a week, then imagining that if you try your best, think positive thoughts, or compliment your Speaking examiner, you'll receive a high score I mean realistically assessing where you are now, in rela tion to where you need to be, and putting in the effort to get there For those of you yet to sit IELTS, the exam is not easy, and the tests in this book are at the level of real exams For those of you who've already sat IELTS, it takes months and even years to go up IELTS bands Teachers, tutors, classmates, people who comment on websites, friends, parents, loved ones, and writers of books like this will all offer you advice, but the responsibility for your IELTS score lies with you and you alone There are three parts to this book: (1) introduction (pp vii-21): This appraises your general knowledge of IELTS with a Quiz (pp 1-9) It includes information on the four individual tests and the nine band scores It gives an overall impression of what makes a strong candidate in speaking and writing (pp 6-8) It describes the different question types (pp 11-15) you'll encounter, and has specific advice on the Listening and Reading tests (pp 18-21) (2) Tests and (pp 22-114): are mainly printed on right-hand pages, while tips, called 'How to get a Seven', are on the left By following these tips, you'll be able to predict answers, find cues or signposts, listen or look for paraphrases, understand inference, avoid common errors, and, hopefully, get a Seven (3) Tests to (pp 115-227): have no tips Questions for Tests and are at the level of real IELTS exams,· but those for Tests and are slightly higher This is to help people who have already scored a Six aim for a Seven For easy access, answers to activities and tests appear throughout the book Pay particular attention to the ;nigliligfitea answers in the recording scripts and reading passages Go through all the writing and speaking models carefully, so you understand what examiners really expect vii The IELIS Qui� The Listening Test and the Academic Reading Test What you know about IELTS? For each question, circle the letter of your choice In total, how long is an IELTS exam? a hours 15 minutes 40 27/40 There is no maximum b mark C It varies from test to test b 30/40 C 33/40 b No Reading is higher C Yes b He or she loses one mark b Five b Answers must come from the recordings or the passages, but candidates can change them slightly, for example, into plurals or participles C He or she loses half a mark C Three C Answers must come from the recordings or the passages, and they must not be changed in any way C Not so important As long as a person marking the Listening answer sheet can work out what the word is, incorrect spelling doesn't matter In Reading, if a word is copied wrongly, but is recognisable, the mark is given How important is spelling in the Listening or Reading test? a Extremely important To b Very important Usually, to get a mark in Listening, an get a mark in Listening, answer must be correctly an answer must be correctly spelt, conforming spelt, but if there's just one letter wrong, then the mark to standard UK, US, or Australian spelling In is still awarded In Reading, if a word is copied wrongly, but Reading, if a correct is recognisable, the mark is answer is copied wrongly, it is marked wrong given 10 100 Must all answers for a Listening or Reading test come from the recordings or passages, or can candidates write down any answers they can think of that are correct? a As long as answers are right, it doesn't matter where they come from C What is the maximum number of words (or words and numbers) candidates can write for a Listening or Reading answer? a 50 In Listening or Reading, if a candidate doesn't answer a question, or writes a wrong answer, what happens? a He or she gets zero for that question b Is this the same for Reading? a No Reading is lower hours 15 minutes Which mark approximately represents a band Seven in Listening? a C How much is each question worth in the Listening or Reading test? a ½ a mark hours 45 minutes How many questions are there in the Listening or Reading test? a b When candidates have an extra ten minutes to transfer their answers to answer sheets? a In Listening only b In Reading only C In both Listening and Reading IELTS Practice Tests 11 What is the best use of the ten-minute transfer time at the end of the Listening test? a Making sure most answers are correct, and guessing the others 12 13 a 17 18 19 20 21 Checking uncertain answers; checking spelling; guessing difficult questions Nothing b A single example at the beginning of Section C Each of the four sections Yes b Mostly C No They are all mixed up Should candidates write anything down while a person or people are speaking during a Listening section, or should they wait until there is a pause? Find correct answers as you go, and circle or write them down Take notes throughout, but especially in Section The pauses should be used to read the questions ahead Use the transfer time to go back over uncertain answers b Find correct answers as you go, and circle or write them down Making notes is a better idea than taking notes Then, check the answers during the pauses After all, a narrator says, 'You now have 30 seconds to check your answers.' C Concentrating without writing anything down is a good idea You'll be able to remember the answers, and them in the pauses There are so many pauses that you can relax during some of them In which section of the Listening test candidates below IELTS Six guess most answers or leave them blank? a 16 C Do candidates hear the answers in the Listening test, or see them in the Reading test, in order, from #1 to #40? a 15 Making sure all answers are correct, and leaving the others What is played twice in the Listening test? a 14 b b C In which section of the Listening test does one person give a short talk about an everyday situation? a b C In which section of the Listening test could there be three people talking? a b C C A work one What kind of environment would those three be in? a A domestic one b An academic one Which section of the Listening test has two people discussing a familiar transaction? a b C In which section of the Listening test is there no 30-second pause partway through? a b C When there are MCQs (Multi-Choice Questions: Options A, B, or C) in Listening, and there are twelve letters in total in a test's answers, what is the likely distribution of the letters? a It is entirely random b The letters will usually be evenly distributed: As, Bs, Cs C The letters will usually be slightly unevenly distributed: As, Bs, Cs; or As, Bs, Cs etc Answers 227 Still, there are many reservations about CCS Principally, it is enormously expensive: conservative estimates put the electricity it generates at more than five times the current retail price As consumers are unlikely to want to bear this price hike, -·(38)=massive st�te subsidte� would be necessary for CCS to work ,M The capital outlay of purchasing equipment for retro-fitting existing power plants is high enough, but the energy needed to capture CO2 means one third more coal must be burnt; and building new CCS plants is at least 75% more expensive than retro-fitting Some CCS technology is (39)untried, for example, the Syngas-driven turbines in an IGCC system have not been used on an indus trial scale Post capture, CO2 must be compressed into a supercritical liquid for transport and storage, which is also costly The Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre predicts 700 million barrels per day of this liquid would be produced if CCS were adopted modestly It is worth noting that current oil production is around 85 million barrels per day, so CCS would produce eleven times more waste for burial than oil that was simultaneously being extracted Sequestration has been used successfully, but there are limited coal and oil fields where optimal conditions exist In rock that is too brittle, earthquakes could release the CO2• Moreover, proposals to store CO2 in saline aquifers are just that - proposals: sequestration has never been attempted in aquifers Most problematic of all, CCS reduces carbon emissions but does not end them, rendering it a medium-term solution Alternatives There are at least four reasonably-priced alternatives to CCS Firstly, conventional pulverised coal power plants are undergoing rede sign so more electricity can be produced from less coal Before coal is phased out - as ultimately it will have to be - these plants could be more cost-effective Secondly, hybrid plants using natural gas and coal could be built Thirdly, natural gas could be used on its own Lastly, solar power is fast gaining credibility In all this, an agreed measure of cost for electricity generation must be used This is called a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) - an average cost of producing electricity over the lifetime of a power plant, including construction, financing, and operation, although pollution is not counted In 2012, the CBO demonstrated that a new CCS plant had an LCOE of about $0.09-0.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), but according to the US Energy Information Administration, the LCOE from a conventional natural gas power plant without CCS is (4Q)}O�Q,,6��11£��f! making it the cheapest way to produce clean energy Solar power costs are falling rapidly In 2013, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported that energy via a purchase agreement from a large solar plant was $0.095/k:Wh, and Greentech Media, a company that reviews environmental projects, found a 2014 New Mexico solar project that generates power for $0.0849/k:Wh Still, while so much coal and so many coal-fired plants exist, decommissioning them all may not be realistic Whatever happens, the conundrum of cheap power and clean air may remain unsolved for some time CJ Aoswer Sheets Test - Listening 21 22 23 24 25 ·a• 26 27 28 29 10) 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17, 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 229 230 Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 3i 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 •+ •y· 231 Test - Listening 10 11 17 20 Total_/40 IELTS Practice Tests Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 1� 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 4;i Total_/40 Answer Sheets Test - Listening 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 233 234 IELTS Practice Tests Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 \ Answer Sheets Test - Listening 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 '14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 235 236 IELTS Practice Tests Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 Answer Sheets 237 Test - Listening 21 22 23 24 25 26 < 21·] 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33; 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 ' 238 IELTS Practice Tests, Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 35 15 16 ·· ·• 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 I Answer Sheets Test - Listening 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/ 40 239 240 IELTS Practice Tests Test - Reading 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 Total_/40 If you are looking for practice to help you succeed on the IELTS exam, you've found it! McGraw-Hill Education IELTS Practice Tests will show you exactly what the real exam is like You'll learn how the test is structured, ™ With this book of IELTS * Practice Tests, you will get: • practice tests modeled closely on the real IELTS exam what kinds of questions are asked, and how • Answers for every question to pace yourself on every section You'll also • Scripts for all Listening passages hear Listening passages just like those on the real exam, and you'll hear and see model high-scoring Speaking and Writing responses Specially created by an experienced IELTS examiner, these practice tests will help you • Tips and strategies to guide you and help you score high • Model high-scoring Speaking and Writing responses /" sharpen your skills, boost your confidence, reduce your stress-and your best on test day MONICA SORRENSON has been an IELTS examiner since 2001 in Downloadable Audio for all test Listening passages China, Australia, Syria, Ukraine, and Oman She has also taught in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Indonesia, Sudan, and Russia She has qualifications from the University of New South Wales, Sydney Learn more Do more:M M H PROFESS! ONAL COM USD $24.00 ISBN 978-0-07-1845151 MHID 0-07-1845151 5240 Get the edge with McGraw-Hill Education ·;: 780071 845151 ... prior written permission of the publisher l ISBN MHID RHR/RHR l 978 -0- 07-184515-1 0- 07-184515-1 e-ISBN 978 -0- 07-184517-5 e-MHID 0- 07-184517-8 IELTS is a trademark of IELTS Partners, defined as the... about how many words are there to read in the three passages of the Reading test? a 24 1 700 b 2 200 C 2 700 Do the three Reading passages have a roughly equal number of words? a 25 b Yes No While... In total, how long is an IELTS exam? a hours 15 minutes 40 27/ 40 There is no maximum b mark C It varies from test to test b 30/ 40 C 33/ 40 b No Reading is higher C Yes b He or she loses one mark