Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Foundation For IELTS ONLINE
Foundation For IELTS ONLINE
Session 1.1
2. classical music
3. cooking
4. Chinese food
5. getting up early
6. watching football
on TV
7. coffee
8. buying new
clothes
9. chocolate ice
cream
10. living in
Bangkok
1
Speaking part1 Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.2 Introductions
On the right, write some questions in note form that you would like to ask the other students in
the class about the topics on the left. Then, write down two topics of your own & some
questions for them.
Topic Questions
How many people are in your family ?
Personal Do you have any sibling/brother or sister ?
Family or friend
New Cambridge
2
Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.3
Course Objectives
Student A
ZDQWWRWDNHWKH,(/76WHVWEXWZKRDUHDWWKHPRPHQWDERXWD%DQG
WKDW\RXU(QJOLVKQHHGVWREHLPSURYHGEHIRUH\RXFDQVWXG\DQ,(/76
7KHRYHUDOODLPRIWKHFRXUVHLVWRDOORZ\RXWR
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBDQGOLVWHQLQJ
DQGDOVRWROHDUQKRZWRVWXG\HIIHFWLYHO\RQ\RXURZQ
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB7KHFRXUVHGRHVQRWFRQFHQWUDWHRQ
WKHIRUPDWRIWKH,(/76WHVW
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB(YHU\WKLQJWKDW\RXZLOOVWXG\RQ
WKLVFRXUVHZLOOEHGLUHFWO\UHOHYDQWWRWKH,(/76WHVW
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
$WWKHHQGRIWKHFRXUVH\RXZLOOEHJLYHQDSUDFWLFH,(/76WHVW
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
$IWHUWKHWHVW\RXFDQGLVFXVVZLWK\RXUWHDFKHUWKHEHVWZD\WRFRQWLQXHZLWK\RXUVWXGLHV
<RXUWHDFKHUVRQWKLVFRXUVHDUHYHU\H[SHULHQFHGLQ,(/76VRWKH\ZLOOEHDEOHWR
LQRUGHUWRDFKLHYHWKHEHVWUHVXOWSRVVLEOHIRU\RXDWWKDWWLPH
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB(QJOLVKOHYHODWWKHWLPH\RXGRWKHWHVW
\RXKDYHWRZRUNYHU\KDUGRQ\RXURZQDVZHOODVLQFODVVWRLPSURYHVDWLVIDFWRULO\
EHFDXVHPRVWVWXGHQWVVWXG\VHYHUDOFRXUVHVDQGWDNHWKHWHVW
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
3
Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.4
Course Objectives
Student B
7KH)RXQGDWLRQIRU,(/76FRXUVHLVGHVLJQHGIRUVWXGHQWVZKR
7KHUHDVRQWKDW\RXKDYHEHHQSODFHGRQD)RXQGDWLRQIRU,(/76FRXUVHLV
3UHSDUDWLRQFRXUVHDQGXQGHUVWDQGLWIXOO\
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLPSURYH\RXU
(QJOLVKVNLOOVLQWKHDUHDVRIUHDGLQJZULWLQJVSHDNLQJ
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBZKLFKZLOOEHYHU\XVHIXO
ZKHQ\RXJRWRVWXG\DEURDG
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBEXWLWGRHVORRNDWWKHODQJXDJHQHHGHGLQWKHWHVW
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBDQGWKHUHLVDJRRG
FKDQFHWKDW\RXZLOOEHDVNHGDERXWPDQ\RIWKHWRSLFVLQWKHDFWXDOWHVW
LQFOXGLQJDVSHDNLQJWHVWZLWKDQH[SHULHQFHG,(/76WHDFKHU
DQGZKDW\RXQHHGWRZRUNRQWRLPSURYHIXUWKHU
JLYH\RXYHU\JRRGDGYLFHRQKRZ\RXVKRXOGXVHWKHODQJXDJHLQWKHWHVW
5HPHPEHU±WKH,(/76WHVWLVRQO\DWHVWRI\RXU*HQHUDO
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
7KHUHLVQRTXLFNDQGHDV\ZD\WRJHWWKHUHVXOW\RXQHHG±
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBDQGWKLVZLOOWDNHWLPH'RQ¶WZRUU\
WRRPXFKDERXWLWWKRXJK
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBRUWLPHVEHIRUHWKH\JRDEURDG
(YHU\RQHILQGVLWGLIILFXOWQRWRQO\\RX
4
Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.5
Course Objectives /
Comprehension Check
When you have completed the dictation, answer the following questions by select T for
‘true’ or F for ‘false’.
1. Foundation for IELTS courses are for students who are already Band 5 or more. -
4. The topics you will study on this course will definitely be in your IELTS test. -
6. You will probably have to take the test a few times before you get the desired -
result.
5
Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.6
Writing
Personal Profile
You have about 30 minutes to write about yourself below. Please include as much detail as
you can (free-time activities, interests, study/ work routines, family-life etc.)
Your past
Your present
Your future
6
Foundation for IELTS
Use the past tense.
Session 1.7
7
Foundation for IELTS
Session 1.8 Error correction symbols
Sp Spelling aboard
A Article Go to cinema
P Punctuation malaysia
8
Session 2.1
1. Name some types of accommodation in which people live. Think of those in other
countries as well as your own.
2. Describe your home, including where it is located, who lives there and what it is like
to live there.
Kah Wai lives on the twenty-third floor of a high-rise apartment in Hong Kong. From the
apartment he can look out over Hong Kong. It’s a beautiful sight. He lives there with his
parents, three older brothers and grandmother. His father is a businessman. He sells clothes
made in China to several European countries and to America. He wants Kah Wai to join him
in the business when he leaves school. His mother works in a bank in the center of town.
The apartment is quite small and Kah Wai has to share a room with his brothers but he
enjoys living there. At the weekend he likes to go down to the park and play basketball with
his school friends.
Yoshi lives in a small fishing village on the island of Honshu in Japan. He lives with his
father, two older sisters and younger brother. His mother died when he was quite young.
Every day after school, Yoshi goes out to sea with his father in their boat. At the weekends
they go out for longer fishing trips and spend the night on the boat. Sometimes they catch
large tuna fish and sell them at the market for a lot of money. But catching fish is hard work.
That’s why Yoshi wants to do well at school, so he can go to university and become a
businessman.
Victoria lives on a huge farm in the United States of America. She lives with her parents and
grandparents in a very big house. The farm is a long way from the nearest town so
Victoria has to study at home. Her mother helps her. They usually study in the morning for
about four hours. In the afternoon, Victoria helps on the farm. She has her own horse and is
a very good rider. She rides around the farm with her father and the cowboys on the farm.
She loves her life there but she enjoys the trips to town at the weekend, when they go
shopping at the department store there.
9
Session 2.2
Exercise 3
A. Which of the three places to live would you prefer to live in?
A high-rise apartment
A small house in a fishing village
A large house on a farm
B. Can you think of some of the good points and bad points about living in each type of
home?
10
Session 2.3
Describing the place where you live
in a residential area.
Surrounded by houses
I grew up in a suburban area. It was quite a
developed area, and we lived in a new
townhouse. I played a lot in the woods, not far
from the nearest convenience store.
Working in the heart of the city
A lot of land in urban areas is used for
business. Some shops sell clothes, and others,
like bakeries, sell food products. When I was
young I helped out at my family’s retail store.
Advantages Disadvantages
The best thing about living in The worst thing about
the city is that: living in the city is that:
11
Session 2.4
City life
Shopping centre
Car park
Factory
Skyscraper / high-rise
building
Library
Suburb
12
Session 2.5
Language use: There is / are
Exercise 2 Complete the following sentences using there isn’t / there aren’t
Exercise 3 Describe your neighbourhood (say what there is, as well as what there isn’t)
13
Session 2.6
Student A
Picture1
Picture 2
14
Session 2.7 Talking about Places
Student B
Picture 1
Picture 2
15
Session 2.8 Talking about places
Look at the words and phrases in the box below. Which words can describe the four
pictures?
STUDENT A STUDENT B
Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 1 Picture 2
16
Session 2.9
Where it is located
What it looks like
Why you enjoy going there
Anything you could do to improve the place
17
Session 2.10
18
Session 2.11
19
Session 2.12
Activity 5
Listen to people talking about where they live. Tick the picture of the house or building they are
talking about.
20
Session 2.13
21
Session 2.14
Activity 3
You are at home with your flat-mate, Virginia. Listen to what she says. What do you think
she is going to ask you to do? Tick what you think she will ask.
1.
Could you turn on the TV?
Could you turn on the radio?
2.
Could you get me something to drink?
Could you get me something to eat?
3.
Could you open the window?
Could you close the window?
4.
Could you turn on the lamp?
Could you turn off the lamp?
5.
Could you turn up the heating?
Could you turn down the heating?
22
23
Session 3.2
Complete the following graphs from the descriptions below each one.
24
Session 3.3
25
Session 3.4
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Now, write the words in the table above to show the degree of change on the diagrams below:
1
4
3
6
26
Session 3.5
Look at the following ways to describe trends & complete the examples.
eg:
eg:
Now, look at different ways to talk about periods of time & write 2 example sentences.
eg:
eg:
eg:
UNIT + VERB + “BY” + AMOUNT + “TO” + FIGURE[2]
eg:
27
Session 3.6
6DOHVWRWKH8.PDUNHWURVHBBBBBBBBBBBBEHWZHHQDQG7KHUH
ZDVDBBBBBBBBBBBBGHFUHDVHLQZKHQRXUPDLQGLVWULEXWRUZHQWRXW
RIEXVLQHVV6DOHVURVHBBBBBBBBBBBBLQDQGWKHBBBBBBBBBBBB
LPSURYHPHQWLQEURXJKWXVEDFNWRWKHOHYHO
7KHUHZDVDBBBBBBBBBBBBULVHLQH[SRUWVLQ7KH\ZHQWXS
BBBBBBBBBBBBLQZKHQZHEHJDQWREUHDNLQWRWKH86PDUNHW
7KH\URVHBBBBBBBBBBBBLQZKHQZHVLJQHGWKHQHZDJHQF\DJUHHPHQWV
DQGWKHUHZDVDBBBBBBBBBBBBLQFUHDVHLQDQG
28
Session 3.7
Task 1 FORMAT
2-3 paragraphs
o Introduction
o One or two paragraphs to describe the data in detail
o NO CONCLUSION IS NECESSARY
o NO ANALYSIS OF THE DATA IS REQUIRED
o Describe only what is shown on the diagram/chart
o Sentence 3: Overview
Overall it can be seen that…
It is obvious from the data that…
29
Session 3.8 Writing
30
Session 3.9
31
Session 3.10
Look at the graph in Task 1 on page 30 and read the following sentences, which relate only
to the Music Choice site. Try to complete the sentences.
b) On the fourth day, the number of visitors to the Music Choice site by
66%, to 20,000.
c) There was in hits to the Music Choice site on the third day.
*or visits to
Look at the items in the box below. Which can be used Instead of the phrases you wrote in
a-j above? There may be more than one answer and you may use each item more than
once.
32
Session 3.11
Listen and answer the questions below. Type the answers as you listen.
33
Session 3.13
The numbers you will hear in the exam are usually one or more of the following:
A year
A price
A phone number
Part of an address
Notes on numbers
1. The use of 'and' in numbers occurs between hundreds and tens / units:
e.g. 430 = four hundred and thirty
403 = four hundred and three
2. When you mention a specific number of hundreds, thousands, millions etc., the
word 'hundred' 'thousand' 'million' etc. remains in the singular form:
e.g. 500 = five hundred ( not 'hundreds')
15,000 = fifteen thousand (not 'thousands')
3,000,000 = three million (not 'millions')
3. The decimal point in English is indicated by a dot (not a comma), and the
integers following the decimal point are spoken individually:
e.g. 4.65 = four point six five
9.753 = nine point seven five three
N.B. The integer '0' after the decimal point is usually spoken the same as the
letter 'O':
e.g. 6.05 = six point 'oh' five
2.208 = two point two 'oh' eight
34
Session 3.14
If you use the 12-hour clock, you’ll probably need to indicate whether it is am or pm
o am: between 0.00 and 12.00 (noon)
o pm: between 12.01 and 24.00 (midnight)
N.B. We can also use ‘at night’ for the early hours of the morning (1.00 – 4.00 am):
e.g. 1.00 am = one o’clock at night
Of course, you can use the digital clock times:
o e.g. 6.45 am = six forty-five in the morning
o e.g. 5 .30 pm = five thirty in the evening
N.B. If you write the words for the time instead of the numbers, you must use the
correct spelling (Listening and Reading sub-tests)
35
Session 3.15
You can use the British English or the American English for saying/writing the date:
1st March 2009 The first of March two thousand and nine March first two thousand nine
OR:
NB: Be careful to distinguish between British and American conventions for writing the date:
e.g.
08/06/2012
TIP:
You can write the date in different ways in the exam:
This usually fits the question instructions: ‘Write one word and/or a number’.
36
Session 4.1
Studying abroad
37
Session 4.2 Writing
e.g. Alternative energy sources may well help solve the global warming crisis.
The main idea is the more general concept. e.g. the global warming crisis
The controlling idea is the more specific concept e.g. alternative energy sources
Exercise 1
Read the following sentences and identify the topic and the controlling idea:
4. There are a variety of ways to solve the problems facing the environment.
Main Idea:
Controlling idea:
38
Session 4.3
2. The topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific.
If it is too general, the reader cannot gauge what the paragraph is going to discuss.
If it is too specific, there may be nothing more to say about the topic.
Exercise 2
Decide whether each of the following sentences is a good topic sentence. If it is not, decide
whether the sentence is too specific or too general:
2. The earth is made up of three main layers - a central core, approximately 4000 miles
in diameter, a surrounding layer of compressed rock, and an outer layer of relatively
soft rock, only about 20 - 30 miles thick. -
7. I believe that tourism can provide benefits to local people in many ways. -
10. Young people can make better use of their time by visiting old people, doing
their shopping, cooking their meals, taking them out for walks and doing their
housework. -
Rewrite those sentences which are either too specific or too general and make them into
good topic sentences.
39
Session 4.4
Exercise 3
7. Tragedy and disaster always bring out the best in human nature.
40
Session 4.5 Paragraph organisation
Type one topic sentence for each one. Remember to include a subject, a verb and a
controlling idea.
41
Session 4.6 Paragraph organisation
Now, re-write the topic sentence and write points which relate to it.
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
42
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
43
Session 4.8 Speaking practice
Brainstorm the following points on your own & then discuss them in your groups.
Do you think technology will change the way people work in the future?
44
Session 4.9 Writing
There have been many significant technological advances in recent decades that
have improved many peoples’ lives. However, not all of these achievements have
been beneficial.
Discuss the impact that technology has had on the human race.
You should use your own ideas & experience and support your arguments with relevant
evidence & examples.
Planning
positive negative
45
Session 4.10 Sample Answer
Although there have been many benefits from advances in technology, there have also been
negative effects.
On the one hand, technology has made peoples’ lives much easier. For instance,
transportation is now much quicker and more comfortable than it once was with airplanes and
high-speed trains. This has resulted in travel to distant places becoming increasingly easy. In
addition, advances in health-care means that previously incurable diseases can now be
treated such as diabetes, malaria and many cancers. Also, due to the advent of the Internet,
people can access information incredibly quickly, whereas before they would have to search in
libraries.
However, there are also negative effects of technology. For one thing, the increase in
transportation has caused increased levels of pollution. In many cities, for example, many
people suffer with respiratory diseases as a result of fuel emissions. Furthermore, many
children prefer to use the Internet in their free-time instead of doing more traditional activities
such as sports. This has lead to a situation where the “communication revolution” actually
means that people communicate less with others and spend more time on their own.
Additionally, it must be remembered that a lot of technology only serves to make money for
private companies and the great majority of the world’s population is excluded from access to
many technological advances because they can’t afford it. For example, only fifty percent of
people have ever seen a telephone and only one percent have access to the Internet.
46
Session 4.11
Language Focus
Read through the sample answer and complete the following exercises.
Can you add any other examples of linkers and cause & effect phrases?
Linker Function
1. -a b c d e f
2. -a b c d e f
3. -a b c d e f
4. -a b c d e f
5. -a b c d e f
47
Session 4.12
Writing
You should use your own ideas & experience and support your arguments with relevant
evidence & examples.
Planning
advantages disadvantages
48
Session 4.13 Reading: Phone use
How old were you when you got a mobile? Everybody knows that teenagers love their phones.
Here are some mobile phone facts.
Parents want their kids to be safe. Are teenagers safer with a mobile phone or without? Many
parents want their children to have a phone so that they can be in contact at any time or in any
place. On the other hand, for lots of parents a phone is a source of possible danger. Parents
worry that their child may meet the wrong kind of ‘friends’ on social networking sites or that they
might receive cruel messages from school bullies. Some parents have rules about their
children’s mobile phone and internet usage and bad behaviour can result in removal of mobile
privileges.
The great thing about my kids having mobile phones is that I can keep in touch with them. The
worst thing about teenagers having phones is that some young people use them to send
offensive messages to each other.
-William, from Coventry. William is a parent of two teenagers.
A teenager feels lost without a phone. If my daughters behave badly, I confiscate their phones
and their behaviour quickly improves.
-Kiera, mother of 15-year-old twins.
School
Mobile phones are permitted at school in the UK but pupils are not allowed to use them in class
and they must be on silent during lessons. Teachers can take away phones if these rules are
broken. School students can use their phones at break time and at lunchtime. Some teachers in
British schools complain that pupils don’t always follow the rules and that lessons are disrupted
by people texting, making and receiving calls, looking at social networking sites, watching
videos and even making videos in the class.
My mum is scared that I’m going to lose my phone or that someone is going to steal it. She
won’t buy me the really cool phone that I want. I’ve got this rubbish one that doesn’t do much. I
suppose that makes sense but it’s not fair that everyone else has a smartphone and I don’t.
-Tam, 14, from Wrexham.
I know that some people want mobiles to be banned at school but as a language teacher I find
that phones can be pretty useful in class ... for educational purposes of course. For example,
the students write a dialogue in French, they record it on a phone, then they listen to the
recording and try to correct any mistakes or improve pronunciation. They love it!
-Stan, from Chester. Stan is a French teacher.
49
Exercise 1 True or False
9. What does the man from Coventry believe is the worst result of teen phone use?
10. What problems can occur from phone use in the classroom?
11. In what way can a phone recording be helpful to students for the purpose of learning?
3. Do guys and girls use their phones for the same purposes? Can you think of ways that they use their
phones for different purposes?
4. How many messages do you think you normally send per day? Do you think it’s too many?
50
Session 5.1
Weather and climate: some useful words and phrases
Read the dialogue between Brad and Mike and then in groups try to match the words in
bold to the following definitions as quickly as possible. Use a dictionary if necessary.
51
Session 5.2 Adverbs of frequency
Look at the adverbs of frequency in the box below:
Can you think of any other phrases expressing frequency? Rank them all in order of
frequency and give them a percentage, where ‘always’ is 100% and ‘never’ is 0%.
Phrase %
But with some verbs*, the frequency words usually come after the verb:
* These verbs include the modals and auxiliary verbs. In this case, they come after
the modal/auxiliary verb, but before the main verb::
(' be' 'can' 'must' 'will' 'should' etc.)
52
e.g.
Shelley can always answer the questions.
You must never be late.
I will always love you.
You should never lie to your parents.
She has usually got money in her purse.
I don’t usually pay my bills on time.
53
Look at these sentence patterns:
Pair-work activity
Look at the examples below:
snow
5. rain / February
6. wind / December
8. sun / January
Student A
Read about the weather in Laos and fill in the blanks with these words and expressions.
,Q9LHQWLDQHWKHFDSLWDORI/DRVWKHLVKRWDQGRIWHQYHU\
LQWKHKRWVHDVRQUDQJHEHWZHHQDQGGHJUHHV
GHJUHHVFHQWLJUDGHLVDWHPSHUDWXUHLQWKH
FRROVHDVRQ,QWKHQRUWKLWLVVRPHWLPHVFROGEXWRQO\IRUWZRRUWKUHHGD\V
,WGRHVQ¶WXVXDOO\EXWRQRFFDVLRQWKHUHDUHTXLWHKHDY\IURVWV,QWKH
ZHWVHDVRQLWRIWHQUDLQVIRURUGD\VEXWLQ
WKHKRWVHDVRQLW¶VVXQQ\ZLWKEOXH
,QWKHKRWVHDVRQWKHUHDUHSHULRGVZKHQ
WKHUHLVQRUDLQIRU,W¶VQRWXVXDOO\YHU\EXW
WKHUHDUHHYHU\IHZ\HDUV
Exchange information with your partner about Laos and England then make notes below.
55
Session 5.6
Student B
Read about the weather in Britain and fill in the blanks with these words and expressions.
6XPPHUFDQEHFRRORUZDUPEXWWKHWHPSHUDWXUHQRWXVXDOO\JR
DERYHGHJUHHV
Exchange information with your partner about Laos and England then make notes below.
56
Session 5.7 Reading: Weather and Climate
Britain’s Climate
1 Everyone is happy in the summer, when it's hot and sunny. Sunshine is also
important for our health. When it's very hot we say it's baking or boiling or even roasting. But
sometimes the temperature can get too high, over 32°C (degrees Celsius) or 90°F (degrees
Fahrenheit). Then, people are not so happy, especially if it continues for a few days. That's
what we call a heat-wave. If the air is dry, it's not so bad, but if the air is humid and heavy,
it's not very nice.
2 In Britain, you will not be surprised to hear, we can get quite a lot of rain. Of course, it
doesn't rain all the time in Britain. There isn't a monsoon, or rainy season! But we get
enough rain to have different vocabulary for it. If the rain is very light, we say, it's just
drizzling. If you go out without an umbrella, you'll get a bit wet. If it is raining very heavily, we
say it's pouring, and without an umbrella, you'll get completely soaked. When TV or radio
weather forecasters talks about "showers", they mean short periods of light rain, stopping
and starting again. After a rainstorm, there is sometimes a beautiful rainbow in the sky.
3 What should you do if you're out for a walk in the country and you get caught in a
thunderstorm? Don't stand under a tree: lightning often strikes trees. Inside a car is safer.
When it rains too much or for too long, rivers fill up and there are floods. If it doesn't rain at
all for a long time, there is a drought. Both situations are very dangerous.
4 Sometimes, the air becomes so heavy with water, that we can see it. If this happens
in the sky, we call these groups of very small drops of water clouds. If it happens down near
the ground, for example, in the mornings, we call it mist. If a mist is very heavy, and
dangerous for driving, we call it fog. If the fog is produced by air pollution from factory
chimneys, cars and so on, we have a special word for it: smog (= smoke + fog).
5 In Oxford and other towns in the south of England, winters are normally quite mild.
Temperatures may stick at around freezing point (0°C or 32°F). In Oxford, there is little if any
snow, although black ice on roads is dangerously common. So for winter sports like skiing,
most people go north, to the highlands of Scotland, for example, where there may be snow
for several months. Conditions can be very dangerous for climbers in the mountains, with
severe snow storms, and even blizzards. Luckily, avalanches are much less common than in
the Alps in Europe.
6 British weather is very changeable. A few days of warm sunshine at the end of winter
can trick plants into putting out new leaves again, then, the beautiful morning dew covering
the leaves freezes and in the morning the plants are covered with white frost. Or a sudden
shower of hailstones can kill the new plants coming up.
7 In Britain, sandstorms never happen, because the climate is too humid so there are
no deserts. The weather can be very windy though, with gales common especially during the
winter months and occasionally there can be hurricanes. (The last hurricane to hit Britain
was in 1997. It caused billions of pounds of damage.) Apparently, there are more tornadoes,
or twisters, in the UK than there are in the USA.
57
Session 5.8
Look at the following statements and decide if they are T-true, F- false or NG-Not given,
if not enough information is given in the passage.
7. A heat wave is
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
58
Session 5.9 Writing Task 1
The table below shows the results of a survey of the average number of cars per
hour using three suburban roads during working hours in a ten year pollution
monitoring programme. Traffic calming was introduced in Harper Lane at the
beginning of 1999.
*traffic calming = methods of slowing down traffic, e.g. by building raised areas across roads.
59
Session 5.10
60
Session 5.11 Writing Task 1
The charts show temperatures and rainfall in England and Thailand. Write a report for a
university lecturer describing the information shown below.
350
300
250
200 Thailand
150 England
100
50
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
35
30
25
Thailand
20
England
15
10
5
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
61
Session 5.12 Speaking practice
Part 1
Part 2
62
Session 6.1 Leisure activities
1. Which of the following leisure activities have you taken part in during the last month?
Tick the boxes in the middle column. In right column, write down the frequency with
which you take part in these activities e.g. often, sometimes, seldom, not at all/never,
once a week, every day,etc.
Listening to music
Visiting friends/relatives
Watching TV
Cooking
Shopping
Playing sport/exercising
Reading a book
2. Compare your answers with a classmate. Do you share the same interests?
63
Session 6.2
3. Think about how popular these activities are with people of different ages. Rank the
activities from 1 to 10 in order of popularity for people in each age group, where 1 is the
most popular and 10 is the least popular.
Listening to music
Visiting friends/relatives
Watching TV
Cooking
Gardening
Playing sports
Reading a book
Why are do some age groups have different preferences for free time activities?
Which activities are popular among all age groups? Why do you think this is?
Session 6.3
64
Session 6.4
Pre-reading exercise: Look through the text quickly and highlight the words that relate to
leisure activities.
The family who turned back the clock
When Malcolm Jones woke up last Monday, he heard the birds singing. Not
remarkable, you might think, especially given that he lives near a forest. But birdsong in the
Jones household is usually drowned by a tidal wave of electronic music crashing around the
house as soon as his four children wake up.
This is a family who has chosen to fill their home with every conceivable gadget.
They have nine television sets, including one in each bedroom and in the kitchen .All the
children have their own personal computers and CD player. Of course, there are all the
usual appliances we all take for granted, such as the washing machine, tumble drier,
dishwasher, deep freeze, microwave oven and video recorder, but they also have an electric
trouser press, two power showers, an Olympic-sized spa bath and Jacuzzi, three cars, and a
music system which plays throughout the whole house.
The experiment What happens if all the props of modern living are removed?
To help us find out, we asked the Joneses to turn back the clock fifty years and to switch off
all their labour-saving gadgets and push-button entertainment for three days. We also
wanted them to stop using their cars. The family, comprising Malcolm, 48, Carol, 43 and
their four children Emma, 17, Richard, 14, Tamsin, 9, and Tom ,7, were not enthusiastic, but
everyone ,except for Emma, agreed to try. (She couldn’t stand the thought of being without
the telephone and her car, which she had only just learnt to drive, so she refused point-blank
to join in) The other three children were not allowed to use their computers or watch TV.
They were banned from opening the freezer to get out fish fingers and oven chips. Malcolm
was forbidden to use his electric razor and mobile phone, but allowed to use his car for work.
Carol was encouraged to go everywhere on foot or by bicycle (women rarely drove 50 years
ago) told to ignore the washing machine and dishwasher, and she was discouraged from
using the telephone.
65
Although Carol found it quite difficult to get used to the length of time it took to do things, she
enjoyed having a slower, more relaxed pace of life. Also, the lack of electronic
entertainment, particularly the TV, had a dramatic effect on the children. They got on much
better together and seemed to enjoy each other’s company more, although they clearly
believed that they were suffering. Tamsin even spent some time gazing at the blank TV
screen in her bedroom.
‘All sorts of things that we had put off doing got done,’ said Carol. ‘Bikes got mended, rooms
tidied, bookshelves sorted, hamsters cleaned out. Tamsin and Tom started to play games
together and even read stories to each other.’
The children vigorously denied that any good had been done to them. Richard spoke for
them all when he said, ‘It was awful. I missed my music, I missed the computer games, and I
missed the TV. We had to read books instead!’
Carol’s feelings were the most ambiguous.’ I enjoyed doing more things together as a family.
But as the housewife, I didn’t like my day being so full of household chores. When you’ve got
a dishwasher, you stack it as you go through the day and turn it on at night. But you can’t
leave dirty dishes in the sink all day, so you’ve got to keep doing the washing-up. Also,
without a phone and a car, I felt really isolated.’
All of this just goes to show that, fascinating as the experiment was, you cannot turn clock
back. This is doubtless a big relief to the Jones children!
66
Session 6.5
Reading skills
One of the important skills required for the reading section is the identification of key words
in the question and then the ability to scan for these words (or words with a similar meaning.)
Questions 1 – 5
Complete the sentences by typing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in the spaces provided.
3. The husband was allowed to use , but the wife had to travel
or , if she needed to go out of the house.
4. During the three days, things that had been were finally accomplished.
Questions 6 – 7
Questions 8 – 10
Select T for ‘true’, F for ‘false’ or NG for ‘not given’.
67
Session 6.6
Writing Task 2
In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of overweight people.
1. Brainstorming
Think of some reasons for this increase in obesity. Use the sunburst diagram to help:
2. Organising ideas
Can your examples be grouped and organized? If so, how?
3. Linking ideas
Use linking words to join sentences to give cohesion to the paragraph:
e.g. First of all, Next, Another reason is…, A further reason is…, Finally…
Now, write the first body paragraph for this essay. You should write around 100 words.
68
Session 6.7
For + a period
A period is a duration of time: for example, 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 months. ‘For’ means ‘from
the beginning of the period until the end of the period’, ‘for’ can be used with all tenses.
A point is a precise moment in time: for example, 9 o’clock, 1st January, Monday. ‘since’
means ‘from a point in the past until now’. ‘Since’ is usually used with perfect tenses.
Exercise 1
e.g. He hasn't visited his parents for months.
69
Session 6.8
Exercise 2
Listen to the example
e.g. It's weeks since he had his last haircut.
He hasn't had a haircut for weeks.
2. “Used to”
We used to do something in the past but it no longer happens.
e.g. I used to play soccer when I was at school but I’m too busy now.
She used to smoke fifty a day but now she’s finally quit.
I didn’t use to like him, but I do now.
She used to have long hair until she got it cut short.
Write down 5 things that you used to do but not any longer:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
70
Session 6.9
Part 1
Where did you spend free time when you were a child?
Do you enjoy eating the same foods you did when you were little?
When was the last time you went out to relax and what did you do?
Part 2
71
Session 7.1 Describing where you live
Put the following words into the correct category & note down their part of speech. Then,
add some words of your own.
72
Session 7.2 Listening & Speaking
Pre-listening
Look at the following statements about New York and London. Identify the topic which each
sentence is describing about the city. The first one has been done as an example.
It’s houses and apartments are the most expensive in Europe. accommodation
It has a population of around 7.5 million.
3.5 million passengers travel on the ‘Tube’ every day of the year.
This city’s Marathon is the largest in the world with more than 35,000 runners.
Listen to Owen talk about comparing the features of several countries and make notes on
what he says in the table below. Answer the True/False questions using your notes
Weather
Food
Language
73
Session 7.3 Language Focus
Complete the table below explaining the rules of comparative & superlative adjectives.
1 syllable
2 syllables: y
2 syllables
3+ syllables
Good
Bad
Far
Complete the following sentences. The first one has been done as an example.
6.
7.
8.
74
Session 7.4 Speaking / Comparing two places
Make some notes on the area you live in Bangkok & a rural town in Thailand & tell your
partner about them. Add 1 more category of your own at the bottom.
People
Transport
Accommodation
Shops
Entertainment
Industry
75
Session 7.5 Language Focus
76
Session 7.6 Speaking / Where you live
77
Session 7.7 Writing
Melbourne Auckland
People
3.6 million 1.1 million
Cars
788,000 212,500
Factories
266 78
Parks
6 14
Universities
5 3
Farmland
19% of total area 33% of total area
Different nationalities
24 17
Night clubs
118 6
Size
62,000 sq.km 31,000 sq.km
78
Session 7.8
of data for two cities in Australia and New Zealand in the year 1998.
Overall, it is Melbourne
To begin, Melbourne had a higher population than Auckland, at 3.6 and 1.1 million
, Auckland had three. Lastly, Melbourne had 118 night clubs whereas
Auckland
compared to 6, and its farmland covered 33% of its total area, whereas
5. the figure was 19% for Melbourne. 10. clearly seen that
79
Session 7.9
The table compares nine sets of data for two cities in Australia and New Zealand in the
year 1998. Overall, it is clearly seen that Melbourne was much larger than Auckland.
To begin, Melbourne had a higher population than Auckland, at 3.6 and 1.1 million
respectively, had seven more nationalities, and covered twice as great an area. It had well over
three times as many cars as Auckland, and 266 factories compared to 78. While Melbourne
had five universities, Auckland had three. Lastly, Melbourne had 118 night clubs, whereas
However, parks and farmland were greater in Auckland than in Melbourne; it had 14
parks compared to 6, and its farmland covered 33% of its total area, whereas the figure was
80
Session 8.1 Providing extra information:
Student A
Look at the words in the crossword below and write clues for the answers given. Use words
like who, where, which
For example 1 down = A place where you can stay while on holiday
81
Session 8.2 Providing extra information:
Student B
Look at the words in the crossword below and write clues for the answers given. Use words
like who, where, which
82
Session 8.3 Relative structures
Relative pronouns
We use:
** “which” can also refer to places, but it depends on the sentence structure.
Note: “that” is used instead of who and which and is more common in spoken English.
83
“when” to refer to time
People need to have free time when they can do some exercise.
Session 8.4
Without the relative clause, it is unclear which person, place or thing is being talked
about
There is only one hospital, so the extra information is not essential (Non-defining)
Compare with:
We use a comma to separate the main clause from the relative clause
84
Session 8.5
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
85
Session 8.6
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Read the information and complete each sentence. Use a relative clause and use commas
where necessary.
My brother Rob ,
3. There was a strike at the car factory. It began ten days ago. It is now over.
I've found
5. London was once the largest city in the world, but the population is now falling.
86
Session 8.7 Writing
Join the ideas below to make a paragraph of about 7 sentences. Use who, which, that,
where or and. Add commas where necessary.
87
Session 8.8 Listening
The problem
The IELTS Listening test sets out to show which candidates can listen effectively, and which
can’t. One of the ways of doing this is to set traps — and see whether you fall into them. You
need to know about these traps and how to avoid them. In this post we will look at one of the
most common traps: the distractor.
Examples of distractors
Distractors are most often seen in dialogues, where a speaker says something, and is then
corrected by the other speaker. That means you hear the same piece of information in two
versions. One is correct and one is incorrect, and if you are not listening carefully, it’s easy to
write down the wrong one.
Example 1
Dialogue:
Man: Hi, I’m calling to confirm a delivery of thirty T-shirts to my apartment in Waterloo.
Woman: I see… let me have a look. Oh, we only have one order for Waterloo, sir, and it’s for
thirteen shirts, not thirty.
Man: Ah,2 yes! Did I say thirty? Sorry. I meant thirteen. It is thirteen shirts.
Example
Dialogue:
Man: That’s in Whitfield, right? I have a cousin who lives in that area.
Lynda: Not quite — you’ve got it the wrong way around. It’s double five double seven.
88
Example 3
Dialogue:
Man: Just one more thing — your date of birth — but I can get that from the card. One
moment…
Lynda: Look. I’m afraid you haven’t copied it down correctly. I was born on 25th September
1990.
Man: What have I written? Oh yes, I see now. I’ve got the 25th of the eighth month, but that
would make it August…
It’s not difficult to find the answers when the dialogue is written down in front of you. But when
you are listening — and remember you only hear the audio once — it is much more confusing.
Notice that the examiners tried to confuse you in three different ways:
In dialogue one, both words (“thirty” and “thirteen”) are repeated several times. Remember that
they sound very similar.
In dialogue two, the wrong answer is given first, followed by the right answer; in dialogue three,
the right answer is given first, followed by the wrong answer. This means you can’t predict the
order in which the answer and the distractor will come.
In dialogue two, instead of saying “seven-seven-five-five”, the man says “double seven double
five”, giving you one more thing to think about — at exactly the moment the examiners are trying
to confuse you.
So a distractor often comes with an extra spin: easily confused words, or words said in an
unusual way.
89
Session 8.9 Listening Practice
90
Session 8.10 Speaking
Part 1
Part 2
91
Further speaking practice
Part 2
92
Session 9.1 Talking about people
1.
2.
93
Session 9.2 Talking about people
Read the following passage quickly and answer as many of the above questions as you
can. You only have 1 minute.
In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening. She also goes for
long walks in the woods near her home and over the vast farmland that
can be found in that part of the country. She is always active in one way or
another – making something, mending something, or helping someone else.
She often goes shopping for the ‘old people’ in the village – as she calls
them, she doesn’t think of herself as being old at all, which is really admirable,
I think. My only criticism of aunt Dot is that she is too set in her ways – the
way a lot of older people are, I suppose. No, Dot isn’t very tolerant of different
viewpoints to hers at all. But, I really like her a lot and I hope that I have the
same vitality when I reach her age. Most folks think that Dot’s a likeable person.
i) general information
iv) opinions
v) her habits
94
Session 9.3
Language Focus
Read the following passage. What is wrong with the passage? With a partner, try to
Thames near Oxford. Shop sells many things – bread, milk, fruit,
a month he goes by bus to Oxford and has lunch at Grand Hotel with
95
Session 9.4
Language Focus
Now, read the passage again & complete the gaps with a / an / the, or leave it
blank if no article is required.
-_____ ( -
) old village by _____ ( ) River Thames near -_____ ( )
-
Oxford. _____ -
( ) shop sells many things – _____ -
( ) bread, _____ (
-
milk, -_____ ( ) fruit, -_____ ( ) vegetables, _____ ( ) newspapers –
-_____ ( -
) Oxford and has -_____ ( ) lunch at _____ ( ) Grand Hotel
96
Session 9.5
a, an & the
A. The indefinite article (a/an) is used with singular, countable nouns to refer to a thing
or an
idea for the first time.
B. The definite article (the) is used with singular & plural, countable & uncountable
nouns when both speaker & listener know the thing or idea already.
97
Session 9.6
There is no article….
I. before plural & uncountable nouns when talking about things in general.
I like apples.
I like iced-coffee.
I live in Taling-Chan.
My sister reads Vogue.
I’ll meet you at Ploenchit BTS station.
At home - in/to bed - at/to work - at/to school - by bus - by plane - by car - by train - on
foot
98
Session 9.7 Vocabulary / pronunciation
Put the following words into the correct column. Some can go in both.
Check the pronunciation of new words & write in the phonemic transcripts & stress.
character appearance
99
Session 9.8 Speaking
Make some notes on a person you know well under the following areas.
Their physical
appearance
Their character
Their likes
Their dislikes
Their habits
Your opinion
100
Session 9.9
Figure 1: Percentage of free time spent with family from 1950 to 2000
101
Session 9.10
Mohammad Hussaini has lived most of his life in the United States, and he talks - and
believes that he thinks mostly - like an American. That is, until the time came to choose a
wife. He decided not to follow American traditions, but asked his parents to choose his
future wife. This is the tradition in the country where he was born, Afghanistan.
After all, he said, something as important as marriage should be left to people with
experience in these things; and who better to make such a decision than people he respects
and trusts - his parents.
Arranged marriages – when someone else chooses your partner - are common
among people from Afghanistan, and Mohammad's parents already had a special girl in
mind. Her name was Hameeda, the daughter of old friends of theirs. The problem was that
she lived in California, almost five hours by plane from Mohammad's home in New York.
The two families spent a great deal of time writing letters and e-mails to try and make sure
that the young couple had enough in common to give their marriage a chance to work out.
When they finally met for the first time, Mohammad and Hameeda liked each other. Love
at first sight, perhaps. Before the end of two weeks they were married.
Hameeda liked the fact that, while other young men had asked her stupid questions
about whether she went out dancing a lot, Mohammad wanted to know what kind of
books she read. She was also pleased to be marrying into a family with sisters, as she had
no sisters of her own. Mohammad was happy that Hameeda had a degree from
university and had traveled a lot with her parents.
'I hope that when we have children,' said Mohammad, ' they will follow traditions,
too, and ask their parents to choose their partners in marriage.
Exercise 1 Comprehension
Choose the best answer for each question:
-
1. Where has Mohammad lived most of his life?
a. Afghanistan
b. California
c. New York
-
2. Arranged marriages are traditional in …
a. Afghanistan
b. California
c. New York
102
Foundation for IELTS
Session 9.11
-
3. How did Mohammad’s parents know about Hameeda?
a. She was the daughter of their friends.
b. She was a friend of Mohammad in Afghanistan.
c. She was Mohammad’s friend in California.
4. Why did the two families spend a lot of time writing e-mails and letters to each -
other?
a. They wanted to arrange the wedding date.
b. They wanted to make sure the young people had some common interests.
c. They wanted to make sure the couple would fall in love at first sight.
3. How long did they know each other before they got married?
5. Why didn’t Hameeda like the other young men she met?
1. Do you think arranged marriages are a good idea? Would you be happy for your
parents to choose your partner? Why? Why not?
2. When Mohammad met Hameeda it was ‘love at first sight’. Do you believe in ‘love at
first sight’?
4. In your opinion, how old should a person be when they marry? Is that the same for
men and women?
103
Session 10.1 Global warming
Think of ideas for the following topics. Think of examples or explanations to help strengthen
your points.
Effects include
104
Session 10.2 Global warming: a model essay
One of the biggest problems facing the world today is global warming.
Many scientists believe that our production of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases is having a heating effect on the atmosphere, and this
could be very dangerous for human life. This essay will examine the
problem of global warming and suggest some ways of solving the
problem.
Many problems could result from global warming. One of the biggest
problems is rising sea level. This could result in the flooding of low
lying coastal areas and cities, such as Egypt, the Netherlands, and
Bangladesh. Some countries might even disappear completely!
Another problem caused by global warming is changes in weather
patterns. Many areas of the world are experiencing increased hurricanes,
floods, and other unusual weather. A third problem associated with
global warming is the effect on animals. Fish populations could be
affected, while some insects which spread disease might become more
common.
105
Session 10.3 Language Focus First Conditional
Example:
106
Session 10.4 Speaking
Look through your notes from the previous exercises & rank them below in order of
seriousness. Give your reasons in the right-hand column.
When you have finished, discuss your ideas with other students & try to get them to agree
with you.
Problem Reason
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
6. 6.
7. 7.
107
Session 10.5 Future plans
Draw a line from the words below to the line according to the degree of certainty.
Look at the following future possibilities & tick what you think will be true for you.
108
Session 10.6 Listening / Future plans
Listen to someone talking about her future plans and answer the true / false questions
below.
109
Session 10.7 Language Focus
a)
time
studying in England
________________________________X____________________________
now 2019
b) go to England
X
now next month
c) study in England
X
now 2019 2020 2023
-
1. I will go to England soon.
110
Session 10.8 Speaking / Your future plans
On your own, brainstorm what you think may happen in the future below.
If you don’t know – LIE!!!
1. 1. 1.
Family 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
Study 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
Job 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
Money 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
1. 1. 1.
The world 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
111
Session 10.9 Reading & Speaking / Predicting the future
Look at the information about palmistry below and then tell your partner about their future..
Line Prediction
Long = live long / good health
LL Short = lot of business success
Life line Broken = serious illness
Forked = travel a lot
Long = marry soon
ML Short = marry late in life
Marriage line Broken = marry many times
Long = love deeply
HL Short = have problems in love
Heart line Broken = have many boy/girlfriends
112
Session 10.10 Writing
Today global warming is a serious problem. What are the causes of this problem
and how can it be controlled or reduced ?
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your
arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
Plan
113