~~~Experts---Couple of Queries~~~

[nitinkalra99]

Hi IELTS Experienced People

I have couple of queries related to IELTS. Kindly help me on the same:

-I'm using the famous Barron's IELTS guide and the listening section is pretty easy but when I'm try listening tests available online there's a lot of difference in the level of difficulty. Either Barron is very easy or online material is very hard. Any advise in case anyone has refereed Barron's IELTS guide.

-Secondly for listening the answer has to be an exact copy of the audio(under 'answer no more than 2/3 words'). Or it can be a meaningful synonym as well.

-For practice which material I can refer to as the closest to the real IELTS test.

Thanks in advance.

 

[asad100101]

Q1: I took my real test on July 17,2010. Academic module. It was 100% carbon copy of those tests that were available in Cambridge books 5 & 6. Even speaking topics that I got today were quite similar to given in those books. Highly recommended. 10/10 ranking!

Q2: Yup. It has to be an exact word that you hear during the conversations. No synonyms are allowed. Otherwise it will be considered a wrong answer. Also, when you are allowed to write no more than 2 words. You can either write one or two words but not three words. Your answer should not exceed over the word limit.

I tell you a funny mistake that I was about to make in my listening section
There was a name of a place cliffton:

I wrote clifton on my question paper because it is a popular beach's name in my city Karachi. I see this spelling all the time. Fortunately, during the conversation the speaker told it to spell out and it was spelled out like Cliffton then I had put extra 'f' there in my previous spelling.

Otherwise my answer would be considered wrong. Be careful with your spellings. Very important.

Barrons is good for TOEFL but you need to take practice tests that are designed by test makers.

Cambridge books series is the way to go!

 

[hasnaat]

well, I would highly recommend Cambridge IELTS online Books 3-7
You can download them for free.

Further, there is another Book named Cambridge IELTS Action Plan for IELTS , you can download it for free too.

And if you have time , KAPLAN Book for IELTS is another good piece of advise.

well.

Asad , i took the same test on July 17 and let me tell you my brother, Clifton is to be spelt with single 'f'.

anyways, i don't think either spellings are wrong. but you can search on Google.

 

[asad100101]

I know word can be spelled out like both ways. Humour or humor, you already know American or British thing. But when a word is spelled out clearly by a native speaker during a conversation why one should take a risk and write it differently from what they hear.

It is always better to be on the safe side because when a speaker said double "f" why should I write single"f"?

Your point of view might have been acceptable if they did not spell the word out clearly.

 

[hasnaat]

Yes, you are right.

Yar, you know what , the very first question on listening test, was something Central Hotels.
And to my bad i spelt central as C E N T E R A L

there is Centeral Hotel in Japan.....

Asad let me know if my spellings would be acceptable.

And in writing Task i misspelled consistent as C O N S I S T A N T

let me know how many bands they deduce with spelling mistakes

 

[Right]

I had the same test on july 17.

I think the Listening was a bit difficult just because there are so many MCQs in it.

I think I got the Central Hotels and the CLIFFTON thing but I bet I performed below average considering my level of preparation.

However, in the writing section I also mispelt dwarf as dwaft.....really I don't know what went wrong with me. The reading and writing was superb for me as I perfomed well in both.

The first question in writing used to be my area of work in the office...writing proposals and arranging meetings with clients. Most times we reschedule meetings. Of course I have read so many business letters and IELTS writing skill materials. For the Reading it was a whole lots of comprehension which was really good.

Please expert, if I score 9 band in R,W,S but score say 5.5 in Listening, can I still make it? Because nowadays, they are saying that speaking and Listening are of great importance. Though I actually needs 7 points to cross.

Thank you.

 

[asad100101]

Right

You will make it easily. If you score well in three sections and not so well in one section. You'll gain I believe 14 points for your language proficiency assuming if above mentioned scenario is true.

Hasnaat,

You will fetch no marks for your Centeral spelling. Our invigilator had told about this fact before putting the CD on the tape. This fact was again repeated when we started our reading section.

If answer is "advice" and you write "advise" you'll fetch zero marks for your answer. Just copy/write everything as it is.

If you make more than one spelling mistakes your writing will be marked down if there is only misspelling in the whole essay it can be ignored. One can make a typo in a hurry as in your case. Just one word. Not a lot of bunch of spelling mistakes. Don't fret over it.

 

[Right]

asad100101

Thanks so much you have just relieved me of a great tension.

Right

You will make it easily. If you score well in three sections and not so well in one section. You'll gain I believe 14 points for your language proficiency assuming if above mentioned scenario is true.

Hasnaat,

You will fetch no marks for your Centeral spelling. Our invigilator had told about this fact before putting the CD on the tape. This fact was again repeated when we started our reading section.

If answer is "advice" and you write "advise" you'll fetch zero marks for your answer. Just copy/write everything as it is.

If you make more than one spelling mistakes your writing will be marked down if there is only misspelling in the whole essay it can be ignored. One can make a typo in a hurry as in your case. Just one word. Not a lot of bunch of spelling mistakes. Don't fret over it.