Month: September 2015

Transport # Essay For IELTS

Essays in IELTS are of a varied range. You could either be asked something related to environment  or pollution or may be your opinion on the general trend. Let us have a look at essays related to transport. Transport is a means of travelling from one place to another. However, with growing times, it has posed different issues. As a result, it has become quite popular topic in the IELTS writing task.

  1. With the increase in private vehicles, roads have become more congested. What measures can the government and individuals take to deal with this situation?
  2. With the increase in number of flights, environmental concerns have increased. Some people suggest that to reduce the effects, the taxes on the flights must be increased. To what extent do you agree/disagree?
  3. Some people are of the opinion that an individual must retake their driving test every five years. What are the advantages and disadvantages of it?
  4. With the increasing congestion, some people have suggested that we must launch sky trains, which run above the head and not on road. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this mode of transport?
  5. Some people suggest that in order to reduce congestion in cities, privately owned vehicles must be banned while others consider this an unrealistic solution. Discuss both views.

Now, you have got questions. Brainstorm yourself and figure out ideas for the above questions. Practice them well and make sure that you get a high band in IELTS.

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Understanding IELTS Answer Sheet

IELTS is an offline exam i.e. you will not be given a computer to write your answer but rather an answering sheet. Although some people practicing for IELTS work in normal simple papers, it is always a good idea to practice writing in official sheets provided by IELTS.

You can download it here.

There are few reasons why you must always go for the official answer sheet.

  1. Word Count- For writing task 1, you need to write 150 words and for writing task 2 you are expected to write at least 250 words. Writing below the given word limit will make you lose some marks. Practicing on the answer sheet helps you to get an idea of how big the paper is, how many lines and how many space you take to write 150 words or 250 words. This helps in exam.
  2. You need to fill in the following information in your answer sheet. Practicing in it will save you from the hustle of understanding the answer sheet.
The front side

The front side

Your candidate name,  candidate number, center number, date are to be filled by you.  You need to check if you have are going for the academic or the general. Make sure you fill the details correctly.

The Back Side

The Back Side

You need not to write anything down the lines.

There are four areas where you will be checked –

Task achievement or reponse (TR) – information and idea

Coherence and cohesion(CC) – strucutre

Lexial resource (LR)- vocabulary

Grammar (GRA)

The overall score of your writing section is then calculated on the basis of the marks obtained by you on the given areas.

The examiner also checks the following information in your writing task –

Under length – If you have written less than the number of words you are expected to write, i.e. 150 for writing task 1 and at least 250 for task 2 , your marks will be reduced.

No of words – The total count of words written by you get mentioned here.

Penalty – This area is marked if you have written under length.

Off topic – This means that you have written that was not even asked in the question.

Memorized – Often students while preparing for IELTS, memorize answers of band 9. Remember, the examiner knows it and you will end up losing marks.

Illegible – This means that the answer written by you is either losing the word limit required or you have used a different language.

Even more, make sure that you don’t write beyond the lines provided and also take care about the margins.

So, make sure you practice with the official answer sheet and be sure of scoring high in IELTS.

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The NOTA Choice # Group Discussion

In recent times, many democratic countries have come up with the NOTA choice for the voters. NOTA mean none of the above. You need to speak on , ” Should voters be given NOTA choice?”.
Some of the possible view points could be –

  • I am in favor of NOTA. NOTA brings democracy in true sense. Because with NOTA if a person is not interested in choosing any of the individuals, he/she can rather reject them all, instead of being forced to choose one.
  • NOTA also brings a feeling of trust among people towards the country. They are now more likely to go out and vote or maybe be more interested in the politics of the country.
  • May be NOTA does gives choices to individuals, it also brings a feeling of laid back among people. Those who never were interested in choosing the right candidate can now without pondering much, could end up choosing NOTA.
  • I think the concept of NOTA is good but the fact is that it needs to get more mature. For instance, if the number of NOTA votes exceed a particular limit, re election must be done. This can prevent an unlikely candidate to win the elections.
  • In my opinion, NOTA will not change anything. Politics is a vast ocean and it is rightly said, that a clean person can never be a politician. So, according to me, instead of giving the voters the choice of NOTA, awareness must be created in their minds regarding the candidates standing up for elections.

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The Quiz # Practice Reading

The quiz below is based on the passage CYBERTHEFT AGREEMENT WITH CHINA . Read the passage to answer the questions.
Given below are two columns, one with word and the other with meaning. Match the word with their correct meaning.

WORDS MEANING
 1.somber  (i)directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc
 2.retrospectively  (ii)the disposition or regulation of the partsor functions of any organic whole; an organized system or method
 3.possibility  (iii)prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability,profit, or success
 4.individuals  (iv)a single human being, as distinguished from a group
 5.agreement  (v)gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted
 6.sanctions  (vi)Stealing of financial and/or personal information through the use of computers for making its fraudulent or other illegal use
 7.conduct  (vii)to utter a threat against; menace
 8.pageantry  (viii)spectacular display; pomp
9.hacking  (ix)of or in the future
 10.backdrop  (x)authoritative permission or approval, as for an action
 11.declared  (xi)forward or onward movement towards a destination.
 12.alleged  (xii)an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc
 13. threat  (xiii)replacement of a single course of stonework by two or more lower courses
 14.conference  (xiv)the act of agreeing or of coming to a mutual arrangement
 15.progress  (xv)an indication or warning of probable trouble
 16.prospectively  (xvi)publicly avowed or professed; self-confessed
 17.promised  (xvii)personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment
 18. cybercriminals  (xviii)an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
 19.wary  (xix)a person who translates
 20.individuals  (xx)a meeting for consultation or discussion
21. prospectively  (xxi)to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons)
 22.insist  (xxii)to provide a setting or background for
 23.confrontation  (xxiii)arising from or characterized by caution
 24.friction  (xxiv)dissension or conflict between persons, nations, etc., because of differing ideas, wishes, etc
 25.translator  (xxv)directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc
 26.engage  (xxvi)to lay emphasis in assertion
 27.cybertheft  (xxvii)a single human being, as distinguished from a group
 28. commercial  (xxviii)of or in the future
 29. threatened  (xxix)declared or stated to be as described; asserted
 30. economies  (xxx)A cybercriminal is an individual who commits cybercrimes, where he/she makes use of the computer either as a tool or as a target or as both

ANSWERS

  1. v
  2. i
  3. xxv
  4. iv
  5. xiv
  6. x
  7. xvii
  8. viii
  9. xiii
  10. xxii
  11. xvi
  12. xxix
  13. xv
  14. xx
  15. xi
  16. ix
  17. xviii
  18. xxx
  19. xxiii
  20. xxvii
  21. xxviii
  22. xxvi
  23. xii
  24. xxiv
  25. xix
  26. xxi
  27. vi
  28. iii
  29. vii
  30. ii

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