Map Completion for IELTS Listening

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IELTS Listening Map questions can include a floor plan of a building. Below you will find an practice lesson for this type of question. This is similar to section 2 of the IELTS listening test where you have only one speaker talking about something familiar in life. You must label the parts of the building to complete the floor plan map.

IELTS Listening Map Floor Plan Tips

  1. Notice the title which gives you an idea of the type of building it is.
  2. Notice the entrance to the building.
    • Most listening recordings for buildings will start at the entrance.
  3. Your answer will be a word or words from the recording. You can’t alter the words.
  4. Pay attention to the number of words you can have for your answer.
  5. Answers will come in order.

Always prepare the map by looking at the locations of each number and predicting what language you might hear to find the answers.

IELTS Listening Floor Plan: Map Completion

Questions 1-6: Complete the map below using no more than three words for each question.

IELTS Listening Map Building Floor Plan

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers:

Transcript

Welcome to the Bedford Doctor’s Surgery. As you are a new patient, please listen to the information about our practice to learn about our surgery and the facilities available. To enter our surgery you will need to go up the stairs to the first floor so if you are disabled and need wheelchair access, you will need to call us to organize this. Once you enter the surgery, please go straight to the reception room on the left and sign in with our receptionist. Then take a seat and wait for your name to be called. If you need the toilets, you’ll have to go back down to the ground floor which belongs to the company renting that floor. Downstairs, you’ll also see a small vending machine at the end of the hallway if you get peckish. Back upstairs in the surgery, if you have a large bag or a coat, you may want to leave them in the cloakroom which is located at the other end of the building. It’s the small room at the end of the corridor.

The two doctor’s consulting rooms are situated just to the right of the stairs both with a lovely view over the town, one of them used to be the old waiting room. The first one is consultation room A used by Dr Driver and consultation room B, next to it,  is used on rotation by Dr Smith and Dr Philips. At the end of the hall, next to the cloakroom is a small waiting area for people who are waiting for the nurse. The practice nurse room is right next the waiting area.  For patients who will be traveling by bus, there’s a bus stop just a few doors away from the surgery and for those of you coming by car, please park outside our main doors.

  • Note: the word “peckish” is an informal word meaning “hungry”
Answers
  1. reception (room)
  2. cloakroom
    • one word
  3. consultation room A
  4. consultation room B
  5. (small) waiting area
  6. practice nurse room

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Grammar for IELTS Writing: Adding a Clause Video Tutorial

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This video tutorial will teach you how to improve your grammar for IELTS writing task 2 by adding a clause to a sentence to form a complex sentence structure. To get a good score, you must be able to demonstrate a range of grammar including the ability to use clauses.

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IELTS Opinion Essay Body Paragraphs

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This lesson looks at how expand your main points for the body paragraphs in your IELTS writing task 2. This lesson follows on from two previous lessons. Make sure you read the previous lessons first:

Every one of us should become a vegetarian because eating meat can cause serious health problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Planning Body Paragraph A

The main point: A vegetarian diet is certain healthy.

Supporting points:

  • a diet based mainly on vegetables is rich in essential vitamins and minerals
  • protein can be found in pulses and dairy products
  • avoiding certain meats can help reduce heart problems and diabetes

Planning Body Paragraph B

The main point: Not all meat is unhealthy

Supporting points:

  • not all meat is unhealthy
  • examples: fish and chicken

Planning Body Paragraph C

The main point: Having a balanced diet is key

Supporting points

  • A diet which has mostly vegetables and a small amount of meat is best
  • Eating meat in moderation is considered beneficial to health

Now try writing the paragraphs before you check the models below.

Models

Model Paragraph A
Firstly, it must be admitted that having a vegetarian diet is certainly healthy. A diet which contains a high quantity of vegetables is rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals needed to promote health. In addition, avoiding red meats, which is said to lead to heart problems if eaten in large quantities, can also be beneficial.
Model Paragraph B
However, while having a vegetarian diet is certainly a healthy way to eat, not all meats are actually unhealthy. Take, for example fish, this meat contains vital omega 3 oils which are essential in building health and it is recommended by the medical profession to include fish in the diet at least once a week. Another illustration is white meat, such as chicken, this meat is also considered healthy when eaten in moderation.
Model Paragraph C
Finally, the key to health is to eat a balanced diet which consists of predominantly vegetables but also some healthy meats, namely fish and chicken. Having a balanced diet is generally more manageable for most people and would require only small changes in their current diet to see significant changes in their health.

 

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Opinion Essay Model
IELTS Video Lesson Writing Skills: Connecting sentences
IELTS Video Lesson for Writing: Should ideas be interesting?

 

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Grammar Accuracy for IELTS Writing Task 1

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When you describe a chart, for example a pie chart, in 25% of your marks is based on grammar. In the criteria of grammar, the examiner will check the range of sentence structures and also the accuracy of your grammar. The more mistakes you have, the lower your score will be.

There are a number of common errors which students make with their grammar. Here is a list:

  1. Articles (using a / an / the )
  2. Plurals
  3. Uncountable nouns
  4. Punctuation (commas and full stops)
  5. Noun verb agreement (remember that third person singular in the present tense has an ‘s’)
  6. Verb tense
  7. Prepositions (in / on / at etc)

How does grammar accuracy affect the band scores?

Band Score 5 = frequent errors and there may be mistakes in punctuation. Errors may cause difficulty for the reader.

Band Score 6 = some errors in grammar and punctuation but errors rarely cause communication problems.

Band Score 7 = has good control of grammar and punctuation. Few mistakes made.

Band Score 8 = the majority of sentences are free of errors.There are only occasional errors made.

ielts grammar exercise

Source: The above pie charts were not created by IELTS Liz.

Grammar Accuracy Practice: Spot the Errors

Look at the following sentences and find the grammar mistakes. Each sentence may have one or more mistakes.

1. While the spending on housing was 72.1%  in 2010 the spending was 22%.

2. The spending on food were 11.2% in 1950 and 34% in 2010.

3. The biggest spending in 1950 is 72.1% while in 2010 the majority of money spent is on food.

4. Spending on other items was 4.4% in the first year and 19.2% in the second year.

5. The pie charts shows the typical expenditure of a household in 6 main categories.

6. There was an increase in spending in all area except with housing and education, which showed a downward trend over the period given.

7. The least amount spent in both years was in health care.

8. There was significant decrease in spending on housing from 71% to 22%.

Answers
  1. There should be a comma after 72.1%. (punctuation)
  2. were = was (noun verb agreement)
  3. is = was (verb tense – this mistake is made twice) / the comma is missing before the word “while”.
  4. item = items (plurals)
  5. shows = show (noun verb agreement)
    1. area = areas (plurals)
    2. with = for (prepositions)
  6. in = on (prepositions)
  7. There was  significant decrease… = There was a significant decrease…(articles)

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Form Completion for IELTS Listening Practice

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It is a common to be asked to fill in a form for Section 1 in IELTS listening. It is also the easiest type of question in the listening test. In Section 1, there are two speakers exchanging information on a social topic. It is often a phone conversation.

Check what type of information you need to listen for and be careful of traps. Common traps are when the answer is given and then changed by one of the speakers.

This is a practice listening for filling in forms and is useful for IELTS practice.

IELTS Listening Form Completion Practice

This is a typical example of a Form Completion Question that appears in IELTS Listening Section 1. In section 1, you will hear two speakers. This section is based on a social context, such as booking a course, in a restaurant or in an office. Get ready for more than one voice and different accents.

Oxford Orientation Summer Course

Questions: 1-8: Write no more than three words and/or numbers.

Name: (1) Maria ………………………………………
Date of Birth: (2) ………………………………………………….
Country of Origin: (3) …………………………………………….
Subject: (4) …………………………………………………….
Number of places: 1
Course Dates: (5) ………………………………………….
Accommodation: (6) shared ………………………………..
Flight Number: (7) …………………………………………………
Email Address: (8) ……………………………………………………

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers for this lesson. Use the transcript for checking answers and reviewing language.

Transcript

Hello, this is the Oxford Orientation Summer Course booking office. How can I help you?
I’d like to book a place on a summer course this summer.
Certainly, let me take some details and then I’ll reserve a place for you. What is your full name?
It’s Maria Bueno.
So that’s Maria Beno – BENO?
No, actually it’s BUENO.
When were you born?
I was born on September 12th, 1985.
And which country do you come from?
I’m from Spain.
Well, we’ve got two different courses this summer. We’ve got the orientation for art history and museums and also one for photography. Which one would you like to book for?
The latter, please.
And is that just the one place for the photography course?
Yes, that’s right.
The course you’re interested in runs twice this summer, from June to July and again from August to September. Which one suits you best?
I think the August to September.
That’s fine. Just a few more details and then we’re done. The accommodation we offer on the course is all shared so you can choose from a shared room, a shared flat or a shared house.
Oh definitely not the shared room. I’d prefer the shared flat if you have one.
OK. What I need now are your flight details and also your email address.
Well, I’m coming on Iberia Lines flight IB316 arriving on July 29th. And my email address is m.bueno@gmail.com.
Well, that’s you booked then for a summer course starting in August. Is there anything else I can do for you?
No, that’s all. If you could just email me confirmation of my booking, that’s would be great.
I will do. Thank you. Goodbye.

Answers
1. Bueno (capital letter not needed)
2. September 12th, 1985 / Sept 12 1985 / 09/12/85
3. Spain
4. photography
5. August – September / August to September (capital letter not needed)
6. flat
7. IB316
8. m.bueno@gmail.com

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Common Questions for IELTS Speaking Part 1

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There are over 15 types of questions which frequently come in IELTS speaking part 1. Even though the topics change, the common questions are often repeat so you should develop techniques for each type of question. Watch this video tutorial to learn what types of questions the examiner usually asks in IELTS speaking part 1 and also learn useful tips to help you identify the aim of each question.  Transcript

Hello my name is Liz. In this lesson I want to look at a different types of questions that the examiner might ask you and IELTS speaking part 1. Now as you know you need to prepare lots of different topics so for example family hobbies going out birthdays but you also need to prepare the different types of questions. So even though the examiner will ask you about different topics the questions are often the same. Let’s have a look at some common questions for IELTS speaking part 1.

So let take a look at a common topic and that’s the topic of cooking. It’s a common topic to get in speaking part 1. Now you can see a list of  questions here so let’s take a look at these questions more closely. What you can see is that each question begins with a different question word and this is very important to understand about speaking part 1 because every topic that you get in speaking part 1 can have questions that start with these question words. So for example, Read more….  

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Common Questions

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IELTS Essay Introduction for an Opinion Essay

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This lesson looks at how to write an IELTS essay introduction for an opinion essay. The introduction is the easiest part of any IELTS essay as it follows a similar content for all IELTS task 2 types.

This lesson is a follow-on lesson from last week. Learn how to find main points before continuing with this introduction lesson: Finding Main Points for an Opinion Essay:

Every one of us should become a vegetarian because eating meat can cause serious health problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

How to write an IELTS essay introduction
  1. Write one statement paraphrasing the information given. This will be your background statement. Make sure you paraphrase the information exactly and don’t include any irrelevant or extra information in it.
  2. When you paraphrase, make sure you are using words that you are confident with. It is good to paraphrase but you will reduce your band score if you have too many errors.
  3. Introduce your answer in the thesis statement. The thesis statement follows the background statement. It should contain your answer, your main points.
  4. Don’t write more than 50 words for your introduction.
Model Introduction

Eating meat is considered by some to damage our health and for that reason they believe all people should adopt a vegetarian diet. In my opinion, although a vegetarian diet is certainly a healthy option, having a balanced diet, which contains vegetables and some healthy meat, is the key.

Vocab Builder
  • cause serious health problems = damage our health
  • become a vegetarian = adopt a vegetarian diet

 

Next lesson, we will look at how to write the body paragraphs for this essay.

Recommended Lessons

Finding Main Points for an Opinion Essay (Previous Lesson for this topic)
IELTS Video Lesson for Writing Task 2: How to write an introduction
IELTS Video Lesson for Writing Task 2: Connecting Sentences
IELTS Liz YouTube Channel

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IELTS Multiple Choice Reading Practice

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This multiple choice reading practice has lots of academic language similar to the academic paper in IELTS reading.

First Test to Predict Alzheimer’s

The world’s first blood test to predict Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms occur has been developed. The test identifies 10 chemicals in the blood associated with the disease two to three years before symptoms start, but it might be able to predict Alzheimer’s decades earlier.

Globally, 35 million people are living with Alzheimer’s. It is characterised by a toxic build up of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, which destroys the neurons. Several blood tests can diagnose the disease, but until now, none have had the sensitivity to predict its onset.

But with no treatments available, would anyone want to take these tests? Mapstone says “In my experience, the majority of people are very interested to know whether they will get Alzheimer’s. They believe that knowledge is power – particularly when it comes to your own health. We may not have any therapy yet but there are things we can do – we can get our financial and legal affairs in order, plan for future care, and inform family members.”

Passage from New Scientist, 09/03/14

Questions 1 – 3: Choose the correct letter A-C

  1. The test can predict Alzheimer’s…….

a) two or three years before signs of the illness begin.

b) two or three years from the start of the symptoms.

c) a decade before.

 2. This test is the first blood test which can …….

a) indicate possible treatments of Alzheimer’s.

b) estimate the start of the disease.

c) offer insight into the disease.

3. Mapstone believes that ….

a) this test will help people understand Alzheimer’s.

b) people want to know about their health.

c) people want power.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

1 = a   Before symptoms start = before signs of the illness begin (2nd sentence)

2 = b   Estimate the start = predict its onset (2nd paragraph, last sentence)

3 = b

Vocab Builder
  • symptoms = signs of an illness
  • characterise = describe the nature of
  • predict = foresee / forecast / foretell
  • occur = happen / came about
  • associated with = connected to
  • characterise = typify / exemplify
  • symptoms = signs (of an illness)
  • onset = start / inception
  • get financial affairs in order = sort out one’s finances

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

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