IELTS Listening – Section 1

Section 1 is the easiest part and contains 10 questions. All answers are said in order and the conversation is between 2 speakers. There is a pause, allowing you to read the questions and an example at the beginning. If you spell a word wrong it is considered incorrect. American and British spelling is accepted. Check the number of words you should use (usually not more than 3). For this section you should know:-

The letters of the alphabet: as people’s names, addresses, locations etc. are spelt for you. (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z). Double means two times e.g. double p=pp

Days of the week: (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Weekdays are Monday to Friday while the weekend includes Saturday and Sunday.

Months of the year: (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December).

Email addresses: @=at, .=dot e.g. info@expressteach.com

Titles: Mr (for men), Mrs (married women), Miss (unmarried woman), Ms (unspecified female status), Dr (either a medical doctor or a person with a PhD)

Condition of items: Poor, Good, Satisfactory, Excellent

Colours: Red, Yellow, Blue, Black, White, Purple, Green, Orange etc. Shades of colour: dark, light, sky blue

Methods of payment: Cash, credit card, cheque/check

Rates: daily, weekly, monthly

Occupation/Position=job e.g. engineer, architect

Numbers (telephone, age, dates, date of birth, time, percentage, post codes, reference numbers, room numbers, subscription fees etc.)

Telephone numbers: The numbers in a telephone number are said individually 9-6-8-7-3-6-8-2, double three=33, triple five=555 0=is 'oh' not zero.

Dates and Date of birth: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st (for days in a month).

When we talk about dates before 2000 we say the first 2 and last two numbers together e.g. 1984 is nineteen eighty four. After the year 2000 we can say the date as a number e.g. 2011 is two thousand and eleven.

Percentages or Discounts: 20% (twenty per cent) 50% (half price or fifty per cent)

Reference numbers and Post codes: Combine letters and numbers e.g. 5467F or GU8 9EW

Time: 11:15 (quarter past eleven), 11:30 (half past eleven), 11:45 (quarter to twelve). Write the time in full (twenty past three) if you can’t write it numerically. Morning is am e.g. 8am is eight in the morning while pm is in the afternoon/evening e.g. 8pm. Noon, midday=12pm.

The difference between ty and teen: numbers between 13 and 19 end in the sound teen, that’s why people who fall into this group are called teenagers. Numbers ending with 0 end in the sound ty.
13 (thirteen), 30 (thirty)
14 (fourteen), 40 (forty)
15 (fifteen), 50 (fifty)
16 (sixteen), 60 (sixty)
17 (seventeen), 70 (seventy)
18 (eighteen), 80 (eighty)
19 (nineteen), 90 (ninety)

Culture File - Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the longest and most important holiday in the Chinese calendar marking the end of the winter season. It lasts 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival. During this time, houses are cleaned and windows and doors are decorated with paper-cuts and greetings. People buy presents, decorations, food, and clothing.

On New Year’s Eve, a reunion dinner is held in or near the home of the eldest family member. The feast includes meat dishes (pork, duck, chicken), fish, a hot pot and sweet delicacies followed by firecrackers - to drive away evil spirits. Ingredients that have similar sounding names with ‘good luck’ or ‘prosperity’ are used. The world’s largest annual migration takes place as migrant workers travel home.

Envelopes are given to family members during dinner which often contain money whilst gifts (fruit, sweets, other small gifts) are taken when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Red (hóng in Mandarin) also means ‘prosperous’ and is the main colour used in New Year celebrations as it symbolizes virtue and truth.

New red clothing symbolizing a new beginning and having plenty to wear in the New Year is typically worn as it was once believed that it could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.

Dragon and lion dances are also common as it is believed that the loud sound of the musical instruments together with the animal’s face can scare away evil spirits.

Pie Charts

When explaining information presented in the form of a pie chart, it is a good idea to vary the expressions used.

about three quarters (74%)
almost a third (30%)
nearly three quarters (72%)
approximately a quarter (27%)
a little more than a half (53%)
a little less than a half (48%)

Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The graphs below show the types of music albums purchased by people in Britain according to sex and age.

The bar charts provide information on the percentage of people who buy Pop, Rock and Classical Music in Britain according to gender and age group.

Males favour Pop Music more than females at around 20%. The age group that listens to this genre of music the most is the 25-34 year olds at approximately 35%, followed closely by the younger age group. The 35-44 age bracket buys this music slightly less with a percentage of 30. Pop Music is purchased the least by the over 45s at below 10%.

Turning to Rock Music, males again dominate with purchases at 30%. The 16 to 34 year olds buy approximately 30% of this product. Rock Music is not favoured by the oldest age group as their purchases are below 10%.

Although both males and females spend less than 10% on Classical Music, the men’s level is slightly higher. Very few young adults 16-24 buy Classical Music and the 35-44 year olds follow the same trend, below 5%. On the other hand the purchases of the 25-34 age group and the 45+ are considerably higher standing at between 15 and 20%.

In conclusion, males buy more music than females. The younger age groups focus on Pop and Rock Music whilst the elder generation favours Classical Music.
Question taken from IELTS Practice Tests Plus 1 p.69

Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The three pie charts show four fields where degrees have been granted at the National University in three different time periods.

In 1990, degrees were awarded in the field of Business and Computer Science in equal proportions (30%). A half of this amount was allocated to Law degrees (15%) whereas Medicine accounted for 25%.

Ten years later, most degrees were given to the Computer Science field at 40%. Likewise degrees in Medicine noted a 5% increase. Business and Law degrees were awarded less than in 1990 at 20% and 10% respectively.

In 2010, Computer Science remains the favourable choice amongst graduates with almost half of all degrees granted. Medicine reverts back to its 1990 status at 25% while Business and Law are at 15%.

Overall, over a 20 year period Computer Science degrees have the greatest proportion of granted degrees. Medicine fluctuates by 5% as does Law before returning to their initial figures. Finally, those graduates gaining Business degrees are halved.

Question taken from Barron's IELTS Practice Exams p.100

Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The diagram shows how energy is produced from coal.

The diagram shows the different stages required to produce clean energy from coal.

Initially, coal is placed on a conveyor belt and is placed in a furnace together with oxygen from another source. The mixture is burnt in a furnace and from this raw syngas is produced. Two substances are removed from the raw syngas; purified syngas and Mercury Sulphur. Other impurities like slag are also extracted from the furnace.

The purified syngas is used to drive a gas turbine as well as a generator and in this way produces electricity. Alternatively, the gas turbine produces hot exhaust gases which are taken to a heat recovery generator. The steam that is produced at this stage is used to power a steam turbine and with the help of a generator once again makes electricity.

To conclude, the electricity that is produced from coal undergoes a purification stage to clean the harmful substances and the energy is produced on site with the help of a gas or steam turbine.

Question taken from Improve your IELTS Writing Skills p.24

Model Answer - IELTS (Task 1)

The maps below show changes that took place in Youngsville in New Zealand over a 25-year period from 1980 to 2005.

The maps show how the coastal town of Youngsville developed over a 25 year time span.

To begin with, in 1980 the area north of the river Alanah experienced a reduction in the green area around the lake. Two parking areas were added, one to the north of the lake and the other on the right. The houses along the coast were destroyed to make way for an extension to the railway line and a large stadium was constructed. The hospital remains in its initial position whilst more activities take place in the lake area. Finally, 2005 saw a marina being built to the right of the railway.

South of the river also experienced several changes. Once again the trees and woodland were cut down to make way for factories and warehouses. Similarly skyscrapers were erected in place of the housing that existed 25 years earlier. The airport, parking area and school remained untouched.
To sum up, in 1980 Youngsville appeared to be a residential area with a rural landscape and plenty of greenery while in 2005 it was transformed to an urban, industrial landscape.

Question taken from Improve your IELTS Writing Skills p. 39