» Exam tasks > Short-answer questions: classification; true/false/not given » Skills » Skimming and scanning; predicting content Introduction Discuss these questions with a partner. * Have you ever studied abroad? Where did you study? Did you enjoy it? What were the main benefits of studying abroad? What were the main challenges? * If you have never studied abroad, would you like to? Where and what would you like to study? Why? Wh do you think are the main benefits of studying abroad? What do you think would be the main challengesd 2] Skimming and scanning ‘ABoth skimming and scanning involve reading a text quickly, but are used for different reasons, ‘Skimming is when you quickly read for just the main idea of a text, without thinking about specific detail ‘Scanning is when you read to find specific pieces of information, such as names, dates and facts. Look at situations 1-4 below and tick the correct box for each, Reading module: Academic and General Training ‘The IELTS Reading module takes 60 minutes and consists manuals, of the kind you would find every day in an Englsh- speaking country of three sections. In the Academic module, each section features one reading text taken from books, magazines, journals and newspapers. in the General Training module, ‘each section may consist of one or more passages, taken from sources such as advertisements, leaflets and instruction In both the Academic and General Training modules, you have to answer 40 questions in total, based on a variety ‘of task types. such as matching, short-answer questions, truatfalselnot given and multiple-choice questions. The task ‘types and skills required for chem (skimming, scanning, ‘making predictions, etc.) are the same for the Academic. and General Training modules.skim scan 1 You lock at a newspaper to see if there's a film on TV tonight. Qa a 2 You look at a train timetable to see when the next train is due. Qa a 3 You need to decide ifa Long article will be useful for some research you are dotng. ao 4 You have a meeting in ten minutes, and you haven't read the report you are going to discuss. aoa B Skim the short article below in 30 seconds. Which of the following describes the main idea of the text? 1 It is important to speak Engtish if you want to be successful in business. 2 Most of the world’s mail is written in English. 3. English is the most widely used language in the world. English is the second most commonly spoken, and by far the most widespread of the world’s 3 languages. It is estimated that there are 300 million native speakers, 300 milion who use ss tip) [English as a second language and a further billion using it as a foreign language. English is ibe TE rt spoken by scientists, pis, computer experts, diplomats and tourist itis the language ofthe Ie biggest cha ‘world Did you know over 50% ofall business deals are conducted in English? And over 70% of Henges is time; all mail is written and addressed in English? Iti the official or co-olfiial language of over 48 ae counties and furthermore, itis spoken extensively in other counties where it has no official zed scan quickly wil help you save status. It is perhaps, therefore, not surprising that in recent years we have seen a dramatic = ‘increase in the number of students opting to study abroad. In the future this will cement the role ‘that English plays in the cultural, political or economic life of many countries around the world ‘from Australia to Zambia, C Look at these numbers from the text. Do you remember what they refer to? Match the numbers with their reference below. Then scan the text in 30 seconds to find the answers. over 70% the amount of business done in English over 50% the amount of mail written in English Predicting content ‘A Before you read a text in the IELTS exam, it is a good idea to predict what you are going to read. One way ‘sto use the information in the title (or main heading), the summary paragraph and any subheadings. Look at the article on page 10. Read the main heading and the subheadings. Based on the information in the headings, which of the following do you think best describes the text? 1 Information about universities, promoting each institution as a good place to study 2 A holiday brochure, ‘selling’ the UK as a destination for a quick break 3. A magazine article, giving advice on living and studying abroad in different English-speaking countries 8B When you skim a text, don’t worry about words you don’t understand. Try to get an overall impression of the text, Make sure you read the first sentence of each paragraph. These will help you get an overview of the text. Time yourself, and take two minutes to skim the article. Then decide if your answer in 3A was correct. UNIT 1_Studying Overseas 9 Lea are aREADING 10 UNIT 1 Your adventure starts Ww 1 degree. This week we focus on five English-speaking countries, examining what each has to offer and why you might choose to study there. With thousands of institutions and youl find university system with language and a core set of values. Of ‘courses to choose from, how do you one of the best reputations in the these values, liberty and freedom are decide where to study as an world. Universities in the UK have a probably the most important, international student? Do you dream record of achievement in business, combined with _ individual ‘of heading for the land of Uncle Sam law, the sciences, philosophy, responsibilty. American students are ‘or would you feel more at home in linguistics and many other fields. therefore expected to think ‘Shakespeare's country? Perhaps the Some UK institutions offer a independently and have ‘Australian outback will give you the foundation course (usually three responsibility for their own studies: space you need to work out the months or one year in length) to classes are often informal and problems of the world. Whichever prepare intemational students students are encouraged to express you choose, the adventure begins before they go on to do a full their opinion. With 5O States al Fight here! undergraduate degree; applying for offering a huge range of diferent fone of these courses normally types of institutions ~ from two-year STUDY involves taking the IELTS exam. community college courses to four- ‘AUSTRALIA, year undergraduate programmes ~ Free-spirited Australia has been STUDY deciding where to study in the US ‘open to migration for many years IN NEW ZEALAND may appear confusing, so it is and is today one of the world’s top With its vast and beautiful open important to do some research first. three destinations for intemational spaces and friendly city centres, New students, Austalits renowned Zealand is» county where you can”, STUDY cultural diversity, its high level of enjoy both the great outdoors and IN CANADA. public safety and the vibrant the conveniences and dynamism of Surveys conducted by the United atmosphere of its cities all help to. modem city life. Low living costs and Nations have repeatedly found make it easy for overseas visitors to high standard of living also make Canada to be among the top three feel at home. Academically speaking, life here very appealing. New places in the world to live in. In ‘most ofthe national, publcy-funded Zealand's highly respected addition, Canada’s largest ities, ‘universities are of similarly high educational programmes are based Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, standard. Moreover, Australian on the British system. A large part of have been recognised as world-class institutions have a particularly strong a degree programme is practical; cities in which to live and work, for reputation for research into the this gives graduates both the their cleanliness and safety and for ‘environment and sport science. knowledge and the skils they need their cultural activities and attractive when entering the workplace. lifestyles. A Canadian degree, ‘Syeestupy diploma or certificate is well EaISSin tue uk regarded in business, government. Many students are attracted to and academic circles around the Britain by its long history of The population ofthe US is made up globe. Canada has two official literature, from Chaucer and of people from every continent, languages - English and French. Shakespeare to Bridget Jones and joined together by a shared ‘Studying and living in Canada could Harry Potter. Look beyond this, and bbe your opportunity to learn both! Studying OverseasREADING @ Short-answer questions Short-answer questions ask you to wrive one, cwo or places and dates. ‘three words for each question. f your answer is 10 pate eee > Sean the headings in the passage to help you find the logo ee eh ters ese a eee relevant part of the text. Then scan that section of the eae ae passage for possible answers (orto confirm your For each question: predicted anower). » Firs decide what kind of formation you need to» Check that your answer fs the maximum word count answer the question. sa where when what wich or” Remember to use words taken direct from the ‘who question? Then look for keywords (most imporant passage. Dont change the form ofthe words or use ‘words nthe question, for example, personal names, ferent words ee Answer the following questions. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 1. What type of university preparation course is available in the UK? 2. On which education system are New Zealand programmes founded? 3 Which two values are extremely important to Americans? ‘4 Which US educational programmes are two years in length? 5 Who concluded that Canada is one of the best countries in the world to live in? {Bl Classification for this task In cssiteation tasks, you wil see alist of eategories > Skim the pasrage ro decide which section of he and a number of statements. You need to match the passage each eategory (inthis cate each county) refers statements withthe correc categories according (0 ES the passage, The statements wil be paraphrased they Nee ee ee ie erecta nine > Read the frst satement and san the sections ofthe ~ me” Pasage You Wanted wo an ena as hn sre sex yma be worded ere Someins rang Notte ies hat coespond oat of eater cnet re as eee eee eee Questions 6-10 Which countries do the following statements refer to? Choose your answers from the box and write the correct letters next to questions 6-10. AU Australia CA Canada ss tip| NZ New Zealand The categories will UK United Kingdom Be listed in a log US United States “el order, for exan- pe, alphabetically. Be careful because he categories may ot match the order Se which they appear inthe text. There is an enormous choice of colleges and universities to choose from. Some universities are famous for courses in environmental studies. It is well-known for producing many famous authors. Students should be able to think for themselves. 10 It is not a very expensive place to live in. waren UNIT 1_Studying Overseas 11 eesREADING [6] True/False/Not Given for this task “TruelFalselNot Given questions atk you to read ‘Then skim the passage to find the relevane section statements and compare them to che information von in he passage. You need to decide i the sratement ie true of fale according to the passage. if che statement relaces to information given inthe passage, but the passage doesn't actually agree or ‘sngree with the statement you need to select Not Give. » Read the information in that section ofthe passage carefully If the idea expressed in the passage is the same as the statement, answer True’ M the passage disagrees with the statement, answer ‘alee’. the passage contains information relating to the statement but doesn't actually gree or disagree with it answer "Not Given’ > Read the first statement. Look for keywords that can help you decide which part ofthe passage to focus on. » Repeat the process for the rest of the statements. Questions 11-15 o the following statements agree with the information given in the possage? Next to questions 11-15 write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE _ifthe statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 11. Australia is a dangerous country. 12 Most state universities in Australia are of comparable quality. 13. A degree from a UK university is highly regarded. 14 The British education system has a large practical element. Canada has the top three universities in the world.SPEAKING > Exam focus > Speaking Part 1: Introduction and interview » Skills » Answering questions about yourself; extending your responses [1] Introduction ‘A Look at the photographs of people meeting for the first time. What questions do you think th each other? Make a list of typical questions people ask each other when meeting for the first time. BB Now ask your partner some of these questions. Try to find out a tittle about him or her. [2] Answering questions about yourself ‘A Look at conversations 1-6 between speaker A and speaker B below. Read speaker B’s responses. What ‘question do you think speaker A has asked? Discuss with a partner. 1A feats Ba) T don't like it very much. T think it’s really difficult, especially the grammar. 2A i a ae Bib) T often go out with my friends, but sometimes I enjoy just reading in my room. ‘Speaking module: Part | “The questions in Part | are about you and your personal ‘experience and opinions. You will be evaluated on fluency, The Speaking exam consists of three parts which are the ae es and coherence, range of vocabulary grammatical range and same for both the Academic and General Training modules In Part |, the examiner will ask you questions about yourself, #¢CUracy and pronunciation. such as your ety or town, work or study. your family, our Part | lasts about four to five minutes. free time, your reasons for learning English and your plans for the future 13Td like to one day, maybe in Canada or Australia. 3A rin B I haver't really decided yet. (c) aa Bid) .. . Lhave one brother and one sister. BA B have a part-time job in a local shop. (e) Ive worked there for more than three years. 6A 2 84) ‘my parents moved around a lot and I've lived in many cities. Now I tive in Osaka. 9)8 epListen to the conversations and write down the questions that were asked. © @BBListen again and write the missing words or expressions (a-f) in speaker 8's response in each conversation. Fa) Mrite words or expressions a-f in the table below. Then match each one with its function. Using words or expressions like ‘actually, well 0 it depends will make you sound more natural when you speak. E Ask and answer questions 1-6 in a way that is true for yourself. Try to use some of the expressions in the table above. Extending your responses ‘A To demonstrate your English ability to the examiner, it is important to give full responses. Instead of giving short, one- of two-word answers, try to extend your responses by providing two or three additional pieces of information. Look at the example below. Examiner: ‘Do you plan to study abroad?” Candidate: ‘Yes, I do. hope to go to Ireland, to Oublin. I want to study medicine, People say the universities there are very good for this subject’ 14 _UNIT1_ Studying Overseas TSB One way to extend your answers is to try asking yourself follow-up questions. This will help you think of additional information you can use in your response. Read the question below and with your partner, think of follow-up questions. Then take turns answering the question, using your follow-up questions to extend your answers. Where do you want to go? What are you going to study? Why did you choose that country?) (C Write a short answer for each of the questions below. Then extend your answer by adding two or three pieces of information. Your answers don't have to be full sentences. They can be notes. 1. Do have any brothers or sisters? 2 Where do you live? °SS tiP| 3. what-do you do in your free time? Use words like also, so 4 Do you enjoy studying English? ‘zd beamuse to join) 5 What's your job? {you Mews when You) 6 D9 you plan to study abroad? (BD Listen to some students answering questions 1-6 above. 11 What extra information does each student provide? Write down the keywords as you listen. 2 What were the follow-up questions that they asked themselves? (4) Introduction and interview In the beginning of Part |, the examiner will greet you > Use expressions like wel, actualy and I guess. and inking | and ask for your name and some identification Then, you words like so and because to connect your ideas and vill be asked questions about yourself and your life. sound more fuent. > Listen to the examiner’ questions carefully Remember > Continue speaking even if you have made a mistake. ‘© extend your answers. Work with a partner. In pairs, role-play Part 1 of the Speaking exam. ‘Student A: You are the examiner. Choose some questions from 3€ above, For each question, think of follow-up questions (why, when, where, who with, etc.) and interview student 8 for four or five minutes. Listen to student B's answers carefully. Did he or she give short or extended responses? Student B: You are the candidate. Imagine you are in the exam. Introduce yourself briefly and then listen to the examiner's questions. Answer as fully as possible, giving two or three additional pieces of information for each question. Follow the advice in for this task. When you have finished, change roles with your partner. | UNIT 1_Studying Overseas _ 15