Author: IELTS Research

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.

IELTSBAND7

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.

IELTSBAND7

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

IELTSBAND7

Cybertheft Agreement With China # Practice Reading

Somber (gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted) against a backdrop (to provide a setting or background for) of grand pageantry (spectacular display; pomp), President Barack Obama laid out a fresh threat (an indication or warning of probable trouble) of sanctions (authoritative permission or approval, as for an action) against China for alleged (declared or stated to be as described; asserted) cybercrimes (criminal activity or a crime that involves the Internet, a computersystem, or computer technology) on Friday, even as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement (the act of agreeing or of coming to a mutual arrangement) not to conduct (personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment) or support such hacking (replacement of a single course of stonework by two or more lower courses). “It has to stop,” Obama declared (publicly avowed or professed; self-confessed).

The president, in a Rose Garden news conference (a meeting for consultation or discussion) with Xi, was clear that he’ll be wary (arising from or characterized by caution)until the Chinese follow through on promised (an express assurance on which expectation is to be based) efforts to stop cyberespionage, saying, “The question now is: Are words followed by action?”

As for the possibility (the state or fact of being possible) of sanctions, against either individuals (a single human being, as distinguished from a group), businesses or state-run companies, he said: “We will apply those, and whatever other tools we have in our tool kit, to go after cybercriminals (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) either retrospectively (directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc)or prospectively (of or in the future).”

Obama said the agreement was progress (forward or onward movement towards a destination) — but he added that “I have to insist (to lay emphasis in assertion) our work is not yet done.”

Xi, for his part, agreed that the two countries would not “knowingly support” cybertheft and promised to abide by “norms of behavior” in cyberspace.

“Confrontation (an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc) and friction (dissension or conflict between persons, nations, etc., because of differing ideas, wishes, etc)are not the right choice for both sides,” Xi said, speaking through a translator (a person who translates).

Both countries claim they don’t engage (to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons))in cybertheft (Stealing of financial and/or personal information through the use of computers for making its fraudulent or other illegal use) of commercial (prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability,profit, or success) secrets, one of the deep differences that have threatened (to utter a threat against; menace) ties between the world’s two largest economies (the disposition or regulation of the parts or functions of any organic whole; an organized system or method).

Source :TIME

Read this again and again until you understand the passage entirely and grasp the vocabulary. Once you are sure, check out the quiz related to this passage.

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