Cambridge IELTS practice |Official™

2021-12-14 07:15:17 IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'nice home' answers

Here are some sample answers for the 'nice home' questions. The questions come from Cambridge IELTS 14.

Note: I try to answer in a natural and slightly informal way, but with some good 'topic vocabulary'.

Why do some people buy lots of things for their home?

I think there could be a couple of different reasons for this. Some people like to surround themselves with beautiful objects and furnishings to brighten up their lives, while others buy lots of devices that are supposed to save time. In my own home we have examples of both types of object: we have things like ornaments and pictures because they look nice, and we have useful gadgets, like a small vacuum cleaner that we recently bought.

Do you think it is very expensive to make a home look nice?

No, definitely not. Basic furniture isn’t expensive these days, especially now that we have shops like Ikea. I know plenty of people who have furnished and decorated their homes really nicely without spending too much money. Personally I also like the minimalist look: some basic furniture, light colours and not too much clutter.

Why don't some people care about how their home looks?

Maybe they just see their homes as a base - somewhere to eat and sleep - rather than a reflection of their tastes or personalities. And many people are just too busy with work and life outside the home to worry about furniture and decorations. A friend of mine, for example, doesn’t seem to care about the way his house looks, but this is because he’s almost never there; he travels for work and spends more time in hotel rooms than in his own house.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-13 08:27:02 IELTS Reading: the time problem

'Not having enough time' is the biggest problem for most people taking the reading test. Here are some tips for dealing with this problem:

1. Go straight to the first question. Don't waste time reading the full passage or the first sentence of each paragraph, and don't read any of the other questions.
2. Do 'paragraph' questions last. Questions that ask you to match headings or statements with paragraphs are much easier if you are already familiar with the passage.
3. Don't get stuck on one question. As soon as you realise that you are having difficulties with a question, leave it and move to the next one. Return to difficult questions later if you have time.
4. Remember that the answers to most question sections are in order in the passage. You don't need to go back to the beginning of the passage to search for each answer.
5. Only skim or scan for numbers and names. Otherwise, read at normal speed.
6. Work with an alarm . You can't do this in an exam, but at home you could set the alarm (on your phone) for 2 minutes and try to do each question within this time.

Note:
When preparing for the reading test at home, try not to worry about time at first. Your first concern should be to get the score you need, even if it takes you 3 hours instead of 1 hour to do a full test.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-12 18:51:50 Open / Comment

2021-12-12 18:50:22 Watch this IELTS Speaking test sample- Part 3, where Hendrik from Germany talks about 'Famous people'.

What score would you give to his performance?

Carefully watch the video before assessing his speaking performance.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-12 17:44:22 IELTS imtihoniga tayyorlanayotganlar diqqatiga!

Writingdan band 7.0+ hammaning orzusi bo’lsa kerak!
Qayta-qayta Essay yozmoqdasiz lekin natija oshmayaptimi?
5.5-6.0lik Essayni qanday qilib 0.5-1.0 ballga oshirishni ko'rmoqchimisiz?

1000lab insonlarga yordam berishga ulgurgan,O’zbekistondagi eng katta Online IELTS imtihoniga tayyorlaydigan UzSchool jamoasi sizni Ertaga 19:30da bo’lib o’tadigan Writing Webinarga taklif qiladi!

Bizni 16.000ga yaqing inson kuzatmoqda,tezroq UzSchool safiga qo’shilib Webinargacha-Writing 7.0+,Reading 40/40 va boshqa Webinarlarni ko'rib chiqing! Open / Comment

2021-12-12 15:25:44 IELTS Speaking: Comparing Fluency and Coherence for bands to in IELTS Speaking Part 3

Watch the video and learn what fluency and coherence means, how it is assessed so that you can speak more fluently and coherently on your IELTS test date.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-11 18:50:25 #advice
IELTS Writing Task 1: shows, compares, illustrates

Many students learn ten different ways to paraphrase "the graph shows". If you look in a dictionary, you'll find many synonyms for the word "show" (e.g. display, exhibit, parade, depict, convey). But is it a good idea to use these synonyms?

The answer is NO.

First, most synonyms of the word "show" are not appropriate for descriptions of a graph or chart. The phrase "the graph exhibits" will look very strange to the examiner. Second, if you learn ten synonyms, you'll probably waste time deciding which one to use.

It is recommended to use just two synonyms for "shows": compares and illustrates (e.g. the bar chart compares; the diagram illustrates). It won't help your score if you use a strange synonym that you found in a dictionary.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-11 17:46:50 Guys, there is a new and really good tech channel. Some of the recent posts:

Between bicycle and motorbike - BMW Motorrad combination of a motorcycle and a high-speed bicycle
Fast and easy - the drone that can autonomously fly at a speed of 40 km/h through a forest or inside a building
A flying taxi - Airbus has revealed its brand-new flying taxi called the CityAirbus NextGen

Check out for yourself and join Tech for Good Open / Comment

2021-12-11 16:17:38 IELTS Writing Task 1: process diagram

Sample Answer

(This task comes from Cambridge IELTS book 8 Test 3)

The first diagram illustrates the process of cement manufacture, and the second diagram shows the materials that go into the production of concrete.

It is clear that there are five stages in the production of cement, beginning with the input of raw materials and ending with bags of the finished product. To produce concrete, four different materials are mixed together.

At the first stage in the production of cement, limestone and clay are crushed to form a powder. This powder is then mixed before it passes into a rotating heater. After heating, the resulting mixture is ground, and cement is produced. Finally, the cement is packaged in large bags.

Cement is one of the four raw materials that are used in the production of concrete, along with gravel, sand and water. To be exact, concrete consists of 50% gravel, 25% sand, 15% cement and 10% water. All four materials are blended together in a rotating machine called a concrete mixer.

(160 words)

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment

2021-12-11 16:17:04 IELTS Writing Task 1: process diagram

Cambridge IELTS 8 Test 3

The diagrams below show the stages and equipment used in the cement-making process, and how cement is used to produce concrete for building purposes.

@cambridgematerials Open / Comment