IELTS Speaking test in Oman – November 2012

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The IELTS Speaking questions below were shared by M who took the test in Oman:

Speaking test

Interview

- What are the things that you don’t like about your job?
- Would you recommend it to other people?
- What are you doing to keep your body healthy?
- In the future, what things you would like to do to keep your body healthy?
- Do you like sending postcards?
- Would you send a greeting card instead of an email to somebody?
- When was the last time you received a greeting card?
- Do you keep greeting cards?
- Do you like taking photographs?
- When was the last time that you took a photograph?
- Do you think people nowadays take photographs more than before?

Cue Card

Describe a person whom you enjoyed talking to. Please say

- Who is he/she?
- How often do you talk with him/her?
- What things did you enjoy talking about?
- Why do you like talking with her/him?

Discussion

- What are the differences between animals’ and human language?
- Do you think in the future, robots will be able to talk like humans?

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IELTS test in Vietnam – November 2012 (Academic Module)

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These topics and questions were shared by J (thank you!)

Listening test

Section 1. A person was asking for some medical help.

Section 2. An introduction telling about a museum.

Section 3. About New Zealand art, Hei-tiki.

Section 4. Don’t remember.

Reading test

Passage 1. About ballet in Russia.

Passage 2. About Intelligence.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

Compare pictures of a sport centre in 2007 and at present.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays, people use computers or telephones to communicate and don’t write letters any more. Some think that letter-writing skills would disappear completely. To what extent do you agree or disagree? How important is the letter-writing skill to you?

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Do you like it?
- What is your favorite room there?
- What colors do you like?
- What do you like or dislike about your city?

Cue Card

Describe an activity that you would like to do with a group of people. Please say

- What activity is it?
- Whom do you want to do it with?
- Why do you want to do it?

Discussion

- What skills do people need to work in groups?
- What are the benefits of group activities to children and the elderly?
- Do you think international organizations are helpful to your country?

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IELTS Results competition winners in November 2012

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The winners of the monthly IELTS results competition never cease to amaze us. For instance, in November we had 4 people splitting the first place and 4 people splitting the second place – it was a close race indeed! Jokes aside, we are very happy to see that many candidates who manage to get seriously good scores. Have a look at November’s high achievers:

Academic Module – 1st place

Maany Ramanan from India, Overall Band 8.5 (with Band 9 in Listening)Shanaka Kodithuwakku from Sri Lanka, Overall Band 8.5 (with Band 9 in Reading)Mohammed Ahmed from India, Overall Band 8.5 (with Band 9 in Speaking)Ansar Iftekhar Ahmed from India, Overall Band 8.5 (with Band 9 in Reading)

Academic Module – 2nd place

Tamil Menakshi from Malaysia, Overall Band 7.5Noaman Jamil Ahmed from Pakistan, Overall Band 7.5Ram Canjeevaram from India, Overall Band 7.5Alekhya Garlapati from India, Overall Band 7.5

Academic Module – 3rd place

Anitha Kunjupillai from India, Overall Band 7

General Training Module – 1st place

Sangeet Mohapatra from India, Overall Band 8 (with Band 9 in Reading)

General Training Module – 2nd place

Anand Mrithinjayam from India, Overall Band 7.5Rajat Sardana from India, Overall Band 7.5Veeraraghavan Balasubramanian from India, Overall Band 7.5Rohan Shah from India, Overall Band 7.5

Congratulations to the winners! You’ve done so well a celebration is in order. To mark this special occasion we are sending your certificates of achievement to your emails, and your IELTS results will be displayed in the IELTS-Blog hall of fame.

Dear winners – for the sake of every other test taker out there, please share your stories. Tell us how you prepared and studied, and what helped you achieve success in IELTS. Anything you can share will be posted on IELTS-Blog without delay, so everyone can learn from you and get a better score in their own exam this month.

P.S. IELTS results competition runs every month, and everyone is welcome to participate. Learn how to enroll here.

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IELTS Sample Reports of Band 7

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Here you can find IELTS Sample Reports of Band 7, written by students and graded by an IELTS teacher.

The topic of each report appears when you hold the mouse over the link. Every report is checked, marked, has comments and suggestions. Hold the mouse over underlined words in blue to see suggested corrections. The teacher’s summary is at the bottom of each report.

IELTS writing – sample report 1

IELTS writing – sample report 2

IELTS writing – sample report 3

IELTS writing – sample report 4

IELTS writing – sample report 5

Note: the reports are checked by an IELTS teacher, not an IELTS examiner or examiner trainer. All the bands are approximate.

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IELTS Letter, topic: Telling a friend about a new job

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Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter
- explain why you changed jobs
- describe your new job
- tell him/her your other news

Dear John,

I am writing to let you know that I finally got a Software Engineer position in Google. I am so happy to share this news with you. As I told you earlier, my previous job was so bored to me. I kept working on fixing uncountable bugs of an existing system. Thus I started seeking new job opportunities 2 months ago.

Since I walked in Google’s office during my first interview, I immediately knew that this was my ideal work place. My major responsibility is tuning search results on several Google’s products. The most exciting thing is that my supervisor is a pioneer in this area around the world. I believe that I can get enormous cutting-edge knowledge from him.

Furthermore, I have bought a new house near my office. I sincerely invite you to come to visit next month if you are free at that point of time.

With best wishes,

Michael

This letter covers the task prompt fully. It has the right structure and its level of formality is suitable for a personal letter. The vocabulary and sentence structure is fine. The letter could have achieved a higher band score if it wasn’t for the errors (mouse over the words in blue will show suggested corrections). Seems worthy of Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

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IELTS report, topic: Table describing different types of families living in poverty

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You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

The table shows a breakdown of different types of families who were living in poverty in Australia in 1999.

It is noticeable that 11% of people were living in poverty. However, this figure was considerably high among the sole parents and single people who did not have children and those percentages were 21% and 19% respectively. Moreover, this proportion was significantly prominent among the couples who had children compared with the family structures consisted with couples who did not have children. In fact, the proportion of couples with children living in poverty was 5% more than that in the family types consisted only with couples. In contrast, this trend favoured aged people. However, this figure was slightly more (2%) among the single aged people than that in the family category of aged couples.

In conclusion, it is clear that the proportion of people living in poverty varied according to their family structures.

This report covers the requirements of the task. The main trends / features were mentioned, but could have been developed more fully. The candidate has arranged ideas coherently. The range of vocabulary is sufficient, even though it lacks flexibility to some extent. There are a few grammatical mistakes in the report. Overall, the task response meets the expectations and seems good enough to achieve Band 7.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 7

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IELTS test in Canada – November 2012 (General Training)

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The information below was shared by Z (thanks!) who recently took the IELTS test in Canada. Z didn’t remember the Listening or the Reading sections, but had a good recollection of the questions in the Writing and Speaking sections:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You have borrowed something from your friend for a party, but it was damaged during the party. Write a letter to your friend and say

- What was it?
- How was it damaged?
- What will you do about it?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Many people these days travel far for work or spend more hours working. Does this trend have more advantages or disadvantages? What do you think about work-life balance?

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you work or study?
- When did you decide you wanted to work in your profession?
- What do you want to do in the future?
- Did you spend more time with your relatives than your friends as a child?
- How often do you see your relatives now?
- Do you think you’ll see them more or less, in the future?
- Who is the most important relative to you?
- Do you like flowers?

Cue Card

Talk about your childhood friend whom you haven’t seen for a long time and want to meet again. Please say

- Who is that person?
- Where did you meet last time?
- What was he/she doing that time?
- Why do you want to see him/her again?

Discussion

Don’t remember.

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IELTS Essay, topic: Natural resources cannot sustain economic growth, agree or disagree?

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There is no longer enough natural resources to sustain current levels of economic growth. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Recently, the demands of natural resources have risen dramatically across the world due to population growth. Some people state that we have not enough resources. However, there are some individuals who disagree with this opinion. In this essay, the issues behind this phenomenon will be examined.

On the one hand, some people state that if the number of natural resource will continue to degrease we cannot have a comfortable life because natural resources are limited. According to a government research in the USA shows that if this situation will continue, the petrol will lose in 2050. Moreover, it is widely said that the number of population in the world will increase. This will make the amount of natural resource decrease.

On the other hand, there are some individuals who disagree with above-mentioned perception. The demands of natural resources will be lessen owning to improving the technology. For example, the developments of technology such as electronic cars gave a positive impact in the society. By using this, we can decline the consumption of natural resources. Eventually, we will not need natural fuel. In my opinion, decreasing of natural resource is quite crisis, I think the loss of it give a negative impact in the society because even we won’t have a comfortable life any more.

In conclusion, I agree with the idea that there is no longer enough natural resources to sustain this situation. In order to defense our life, the governments every countries should tackle this issue.

This essay needs work, in particular in the areas of grammar, sentence structure and word choice (mouse over the words in blue will show suggested corrections). The arguments could have been more convincing. The word count is only 245, whereas at least 250 words are required to avoid being penalised. Overall, this looks like a Band 5.5 essay.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of band 5

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IELTS Speaking test in Uzbekistan – November 2012

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Thanks to D who recently took the IELTS test in Uzbekistan we can share these questions:

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you live in a house or in an apartment?
- What is your favourite room? Why?
- What is your favourite colour?
- Do you think your friends like the same colours as you?
- Did you have the same favourite colours when you where a child?
- Do you like flowers and why?

Cue Card

Describe a job you would like to have. Please say

- why you would like to have this job,
- what skills you need to do this job, and
- where you think you will be able to get this job.

Discussion

- Do you think this job is popular today?
- What do people usually pay attention to when they choose a job?
- Is it important to achieve work and life balance?
- How can this be achieved?
- Do you think teamwork is important? Why?
- Describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork.

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IELTS Essay Samples of Band 5

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Here you can find IELTS Essay samples of Band 5, written by students and graded by an IELTS teacher.

The topic of each essay appears when you hold mouse over the link. Every essay is checked, marked, has comments and suggestions. Hold the mouse over underlined words in blue to see the suggested corrections. The teacher’s summary is at the bottom of each essay.

IELTS writing – sample essay 1
IELTS writing – sample essay 2
IELTS writing – sample essay 3
IELTS writing – sample essay 4
IELTS writing – sample essay 5
IELTS writing – sample essay 6
IELTS writing – sample essay 7
IELTS writing – sample essay 8

Note: the essays are checked by an IELTS teacher, not an IELTS examiner or examiner trainer. All the bands are approximate.

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IELTS test in Israel – November 2012 (General Training)

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These topics were sent by P who took his IELTS exam in Israel (thanks to the contributor!).

Listening test

Section 1. Accommodation request made on the phone.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Section 2. About a sports center.
Questions: choosing options from a list.

Section 3. Oral history of one football team.
Questions: choosing options from a list.

Section 4. Sleep patterns of animals.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Reading test

Passage 1. Six advertisements of entertainment events.
Questions: match letters to paragraphs.

Passage 2. Medical care for students.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Passage 3. Rules for a 5 star hotel receptionist.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Passage 4. Guidance how to use computer screens.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Passage 5. History of gold extraction.
Questions: True/False/Not Given, matching names to dates.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

As part of your study you have worked for a short period of time in a company. Write a letter to the manager of this company. In your letter:

- Thank him/her for the opportunity
- Explain how the experience gained there has helped you
- Share your plans for the future.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays, people move to big cities. Why do you think this is happening? Is this trend a bad or a good thing?

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IELTS Speaking test in Vietnam – October 2012

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The Speaking questions from the IELTS exam in Vietnam were shared by our kind friend P (thanks!)

Speaking test

Interview

- How do you usually spend your weekends?
- In your country, do men and women usually do the same kinds of things on weekends?
- When do you spend time with your family?
- Do you think it is important to make the most of your weekend?
- Is there anything new that you would like to do on weekends?

Cue Card

Describe a sporting event you enjoyed watching. You should say

- What event was it?
- What happened there?
- Who were you watching it with?
- Explain why you enjoyed watching that event.

Discussion

- Is sport very popular in your country?
- What are the most popular sports in your country?
- Is there much difference between men and women when it comes to playing sport?
- What kinds of people are most interested in sport? Why?
- Do people in your country prefer to play team sports or individual sports?
- Do people prefer to attend sports events or to watch them on TV?

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IELTS Letter, topic: A complaint about a purchase made online

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You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but are not happy with the purchase. Write to the company. In your letter:

- describe what you purchased,
- explain why you are not happy with the purchase,
- tell them what you would like them to do about the situation.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment with a recent purchase on your online store, order number #7298883. I ordered a set of soccer equipments that were advertised on your site as a package including 3 pairs of socks and a pair of soccer boots. However, on their arrival I found out that there were only 2 pairs of socks. In addition, there were scratches on the boots that suggest that they had been used before and returned to your store.

I have since found the same offer on another website and will be returning the packages to your office. I have read the refund policy, and as I am dissatisfied with the product, I would like to request a return of all fees paid, as well as the postal and packaging fees. Should you have any questions, you can contact me via email, my address is raymond_squared@live.com.

I look forward to a swift resolution to this matter.

Thanks for your time,

Raymond Jose

The student has sufficiently addressed all the points in the task statement. The information is organized well and conveyed coherently. The paragraphing of the letter is fine. Even though some minor grammatical errors are present in this letter, it is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

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IELTS Speaking test in Melbourne, Australia – November 2012

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Thanks to L who took the IELTS test in Melbourne, Australia, we have these Speaking questions:

Speaking test

Interview

- Please introduce yourself.
- Which country are you from?
- What do you do?
- What made you choose this subject to study at the University?
- What do you do for relaxation?
- Which method works the best to help you relax?
- Do you think people have less time for relaxation these days?

Cue Card

Describe an important event in your life. Please say

- What was it?
- Why was it so important for you?
- Why do you still remember it?

Discussion

- What factors affect children growing up?
- Do you think children grow up faster compare to the past?
- Why do you think they grow up faster?
- Which factors affect them?
- Do you think children nowadays can cope with technology better than in the past?

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IELTS test in Uzbekistan and India – November 2012 (Academic Module)

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Our friends K and J shared the topics and questions from their IELTS exams which took place in Uzbekistan and India (apparently the two exams were the same).

Listening test

Section 1. A student was making an inquiry about a rental apartment.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Section 2. 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. A lecture about animals.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Reading test

Passage 1. About bovines.

Passage 2. Sleep patterns in animals.

Passage3. Study of different human groups and their behavior.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a graph showing the amount of smokers among teenagers living in the UK between the years 1988 and 1998.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Solving environmental problems should be responsibility of one international organization instead of state or national governments. Do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Do you work or study?
- Where do you come from?
- Is it a nice place to live?
- Do you like sports?
- Are you interested in cars?

Cue Card

Talk about a TV program that you like to watch. Please say

- What the program is about
- When you watch it
- Who you watch it with, and
- Why you think it is interesting.

Cue Card 1

Describe the most difficult task that you have ever done in your life. Please say

- What task was it
- When and why you did it
- How you felt upon completion

Discussion

- Do you think ambitions play an important role in our life?
- If damage occurs somewhere, who is considered responsible for it?

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IELTS Speaking test in Oman – November 2012

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These speaking topics were shared by R who took the IELTS test in Oman.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your name?
- What should I call you?
- Can I see your passport?
- Do you live in a house or a flat?
- How many rooms are there in your house?
- Which room do you like the most in your house? Why?

Cue Card

Describe a situation when you were extremely polite to someone. Please say

- What was the situation?
- Who were you polite to?
- How did you feel after that?

Discussion

- Do you think being polite is helpful?
- Do you think people are usually polite?
- Are people from your country polite in their nature?
- Is politeness the same thing as friendliness?
- Can politeness be mistaken for submissive behavior?

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IELTS test in Perth, Australia – November 2012 (General Training)

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Our kind friend V shared topics and questions from a recent IELTS exam in Perth, Australia:

Listening test

Section 1. Filling out a form for a direct mail service.

Section 2. Two people spoke about the assignment and other group members.

Section 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. About a process of bird monitoring.

Reading test

Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Your local newspaper published an advertisement asking people to help with protecting the environment. Write a letter to offer your help to the project manager and say

- Why are you interested?
- What can you help with?
- When can you start?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Public celebrations (national days, festivals) are held in many countries. Some people say that these celebrations are a waste of money and we should spend money on more important things. Do you agree or disagree? Give your reasons and examples according to your knowledge and experience.

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you like flowers?
- Should flowers be planted outdoors or indoors?
- Do you give flowers to people?
- What flowers do you like the most?
- Why do people love flowers?
- Was there a particular flower you loved in your childhood?

Cue Card

Describe a happy event in your childhood. Please say

- What was it?
- When was it?
- Why do you still remember it?

Discussion

- Let’s focus on childhood and parenting nowadays.
- Is it easier to be a parent now than it was in the past?
- Should parents be stricter?
- Why do smells and places remind you of past events?
- Why is childhood important?

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IELTS test in Russia, Estonia And Turkey – November 2012 (Academic Module)

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Thanks to A, K and M we know about these topics and questions that appeared in IELTS exams in Russia, Estonia and Turkey (apparently, the exams were very similar).

Listening test

Don’t remember.

Reading test

Passage 1. A text about two ancient tribes that lived in green Sahara.

Passage 2. A text about early history of photography.

Passage 3. Evolutionary psychology in business.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

Three bar charts showing different types of courses that were available in one university/college in 1984, 1994, 2004.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people believe that governments should pay for health care and education; others, however, think this is not the governments’ responsibility. What is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

- Have you ever sent postcards?
- Would you send postcards now?
- Tell me about your hometown where you were born and grew up.
- What kind of entertainment do you have in your city?
- Speak about a town that you enjoyed visiting.
- How can tourism be useful for a city?
- Is it always useful?
- Why do some people like cities and others do not?
- How can local authorities attract more tourists?

Cue Card

Talk about an activity you did with your friends recently. Please say

- What was it?
- How did you feel about it?
- How often do you do it?

Discussion

Don’t remember.

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IELTS Letter, topic: Expressing dissatisfaction with a course at college

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You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the college director requesting to change your course. You should include details about:
- what course are you doing now
- why you are not satisfied with that course
- what course would you like to change to

Dear Mr. Hodgkins,

I am currently enrolled in an Italian cooking class at St. James and am writing regarding some difficulties I have had doing this subject for the past two weeks. I would like to know if it is possible to change my course.

I believe that the last day allowed for students to make any changes was Wednesday 5th June but, in my situation, the circumstance is uncompromising. The fact is that, during the enrolment session, no one mentioned that I needed to be literate in Italian, which I’m not. Therefore, you will comprehend that for me, getting an understanding of what the teacher is saying is beyond comprehensible.

Thus, I am requesting that my current enrollment be transferred from the Italian course to the French cooking class. As unlike in Italian, I am fluent in French.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to you and the staff and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Sandrine Mo

The student’s response covers the task question very well, the sentences have good structure, the level of formality is adequate and the vocabulary is suitable for the purpose. Some expressions would sound better in different wording (see suggestions underlined in blue). Overall, this letter is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8.5.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

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IELTS Sample Letters of Band 8

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Here you can find IELTS Sample Letters of Band 8, written by students and graded by an IELTS teacher.

The topic of each letter appears when you hold the mouse over the link. Every letter is checked, marked, has comments and suggestions. Hold the mouse over underlined words in blue to see suggested corrections. The teacher’s summary is at the bottom of each letter.

IELTS writing – sample letter 1

IELTS writing – sample letter 2

IELTS writing – sample letter 3

IELTS writing – sample letter 4

IELTS writing – sample letter 5

Note: the letters are checked by an IELTS teacher, not an IELTS examiner or examiner trainer. All the bands are approximate.

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