IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Published on: 30 Jul 2018
Tests taken: 630,021

Answer Keys:

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Part 1: Question 1 - 10

1 3,000
2 crabs
3 45
4 lamb
5 chicken

6 B
7 B
8 A
9 C
10 B

Part 2: Question 16 - 20

16 polished stone
17 shops
18 garden

19 seating
20 plants

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

21 Two Systems
22 challenged
23 Newton
24 created order
25 Relativity

26 explained gravity
27 E
28 N
29 G
30 N

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

31 B
32 B
33 C
34 B
35 E

36 car(-)racing
37 jogging shoes
38 freedom
39 crown
40 controversial

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IELTS Mock Test Reading

Reading is the second part of the IELTS test, and takes 60 minutes. It consists of three or sometimes four reading passages of increasing difficulty,...

19,067

22 Aug 2018

Review & Explanations:

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SECTION 1

You will hear two colleagues, Marcus and Ella, discussing details about the coming office party.

Marcus: Okay Ella. As you know, you and I have to make the big decision about in which restaurant we are going to hold our office celebration.

Ella: Well, we’re celebrating 20 years of operation, so I think it has to be a good restaurant -something which will really impress people, and make them think better of the company.

Marcus: We do have a budget, though. It’s... how much?

Ella: $2,000, and that should be enough for a good meal.

Marcus: Actually, it’s $3,000, not $2,000. Iconfirmed that today.

Ella: That should be enough for a great meal, then.

Marcus: Well, this is a significant milestone. So, should we go for a buffet meal at a local hotel? All you can eat? Something like that?

Ella: The Chestfield Hotel has good food. I’ve eaten there before. Very impressive.

Marcus: Yes, I’ve got the brochure here. Do you know how much it costs? The full buffet banquet is beyond us, I’m afraid.

Ella: Yes, but we don’t have to get the banquet. They have set meals for cheaper prices. Show me the brochure. What about this? Set Meal C is $50 a head, and that’s just within our price range. It includes a main meal with prawns, and there’s other seafood as well. Look, there’s even a seafood platter, with crabs , oysters, everything you like.

Marcus: But not everyone likes seafood. Let me see the brochure. Actually, Set Meal D looks better to me -more meat-based.

Ella: How much is it?

Marcus: Meal A is $70, B is $60, and so on, so D is even cheaper, at $45.

Ella: Okay, and we could spend the money we save on other things, such as a lottery present, or something.

Marcus: The main meal is lamb , and everyone likes that, right? It comes with soup, dessert, coffee, all the frills that you’d expect.

Ella: What’s the soup?

Marcus: Actually, all the meals come with soup. Meal A is lobster soup, B is prawn, C is clam - but ours is chicken.

Ella: Ah, T like that. Chicken is simple but tasty. All those seafood soups are not nearly as nice.

Marcus: So, why don’t we take Meal D then?

Ella: Alright, we’ve picked the restaurant and meal for this celebration, so that just leaves the time and date to be decided.

Marcus: We need to do it soon. This month is the 20^th anniversary, so what about the 14^th?

Ella: 14^th? Hmmm, but wouldn’t it be belter to do it after the end-of-quarter reports are handed in? That way everyone will feel more relaxed. That’s the 18th , after the middle of the month.

Marcus: Good thinking. That’s why you’re the office manager, and I’m not.

Ella: Ha ha. And that leaves the starting time. After work, but not too late, right?

Marcus: Well, any time is fine, I should think. 7 pm, 7,30, 8 pm. Does it really matter?

Ella: Not too late, though. 8 pm is too late. 7 pm might be too early for those submitting the end-of-day accounts. Split the difference then. Take the middle time. That will please everyone.

Marcus: Sounds fine by me. Let’s do that, then. Now, that leaves the minor details, you know, about clothes, and what to bring, and...

Ella: Clothes! Isn’t this an informal event?

Marcus: Yes, but it is an anniversary, and we don’t want people in jeans and jogging shoes. We don’t necessarily want formal dress, either.

Ella: I agree. Formal is too... well... formal. Smart casual is better. Let’s just say ‘smart casual’, okay?

Marcus: Okay. And should we allow smoking?

Ella: Isn’t that the hotel’s decision? Do they allow smoking?

Marcus: They do - in designated areas, well away from the eating tables.

Ella: Personally I hate smoking, and would like to ban it completely from this function, but, to be reasonable, I think we can just follow the hotel’s policy. If they allow it, so can we.

Marcus: Okay, that sounds fine. That just leaves... ah...

Ella: ...whether the guests should bring anything with them. I think it would be a nice idea if everyone brought a...

Marcus: Let me guess. A card, right? A ‘getting-to-know-you’ card?

Ella: No. A present! A small present, of course, to be put into a large box, and then everyone can reach inside and pull out something. A lucky dip! That should be a good laugh, don’t you think?

Marcus: Great idea!

SECTION 2

You will hear a construction Worker: and university officer discussing the effects of some new construction on the university premises.

Worker: Hello, Helen, is it?

Officer: Yes, that’s right, and let me begin by saying that your construction is already causing considerable disturbance to our student body.

Worker: I’m afraid we have deadlines to meet, but you did ask for a timetable. We can certainly try to do the noisiest work at specific times when it least disrupts the students.

Officer: Good. I’ve already emailed you about sensitive times of the day. Obviously our lunch period is the best time for you to do all the noisy work.

Worker: Yes, and as a result, in that time, we are reserving all the jackhammer and drilling work necessary for breaking up the old concrete paths. So, that will be between noon and 1.30 pm. It will result in some delays to us, but not enough to significantly put us behind, so we’re happy to do it at that time. The other time you mentioned as favourable for our noisiest work is after 5 pm. As you know, due to the deadlines, we work at night, to 8 pm.

Officer: Yes, I see the lights at night when I walk to my car.

Worker: Well, we can similarly put most of the digging of earth, or, in other words, the excavation, to that time, and that work is certainly noisy due to the engines of the earth-moving vehicles. Inevitably, of course, there must be some noise during the day, and I think that the best we can do is to concentrate it at one specific time, so that at least you can anticipate it. Ah,... that time will be from 10 am to noon. We’ve just finished cutting down and sawing up all the trees, so that morning period will now primarily be involved with the pouring of concrete. That must be done early in the day to allow the concrete to harden during the daylight hours. It will involve considerable noise, I’m afraid, mostly from the trucks and concrete mixers, so expect some racket in those two hours.

Officer: So what will happen in the late afternoon? Will it be quiet enough for exam work?

Worker: I believe so, since in that first hour and a half, we’ll be having our lunch break, and in the remaining two hours, we’ll just be making the concrete look nice - you know, removing leaves, broken pieces, and making it all level and flat before it hardens - so the noise will certainly be at a minimum in that period of time.

Officer: Well, it’s good to know this construction activity won’t disturb us too much, and I trust it’s all worth it. Perhaps you can tell me how this new plaza will look when it’s all finished. Can you give me some idea of the final appearance?

Worker: Oh, it’s going to look very nice. For a start, right now we’ve just got concrete paths, and as you can see, we’re breaking that up and removing it, and soon we’ll be laying polished stone.

Officer: Really. Stone? And polished, too?

Worker: Yes, it will look very good - nice and shiny, giving a touch of class. The university is certainly spending some money on this. I guess it will be the showcase plaza, especially with a fountain as well in the front corner. And there’ll be shops, too, at the back, in that other corner area. Right now it’s just empty space, but soon you’ll be able to buy things there. Not just from one shop, either, but many. I suppose that will help the university draw some income, as well. And see that long narrow part, on the left-hand side? We had planned to put seating there, but we soon realised that wasn't such a good idea. We thought about a coffee shop, but finally decided that it would be better to have a garden since there’s so much natural sunlight around that area, so that’s what we’re doing. It should look very nice indeed, particularly when it grows a bit. And after some thought, it was decided to put the seating in the centre of the plaza , since being right in the middle allows everyone to be seen, and everyone to see everything, creating a very fun atmosphere. Along those same lines, that is, in order to create a better atmosphere, we’re changing the facade of the buildings facing into the plaza. Right now, there’s nothing there, just walls without any ornamentation. We thought that we could either paint them with interesting pictures - perhaps with modern art, or that sort of thing, but then decided to simply hang plants there, in keeping with the natural look of the place.

Officer: Well, keep up the good work. I’m sure it’s going to look wonderful when it’s all finished.

SECTION 3

You will hear three students - Steve, David, and Susan: -discussing a science lecture they attended.

Susan: What did you think about the lecture, David?

David: I thought it was rather interesting. I liked the way it examined the personalities, as well as the achievements, of the three great physicists of history. It was also interesting in the way it highlighted that all of them had traits in common, despite being removed by centuries. What did you think, Steven?

Steve: I thought, for their times, all three scientists were quite revolutionary. Also, I found it quite funny how Galileo, the Italian physicist, in his great work... what was it called?

David: It’s usually abbreviated to ‘Two Systems’.

Steve: Yeah, yeah, in the ‘Two Systems’. It isn’t really science in the conventional sense at all because it’s so funny. How can science have characters, one of them with the name ‘Simplicio’?

Susan: I think, though, that it stands as significant in that it was the first major work in which authority was challenged. Before that, the church and the state and royalty all held absolute authority over the thinking of the times, but Galileo was brave enough to challenge this by putting forward scientific truth. It simply started everything.

David: I agree with you there, and it was important, and I don’t wish to underestimate that at all, but Galileo’s works were somewhat scattered. He couldn’t fuse all the ideas together. That had to wait for Newton’s ‘Principia’.

Steve: So why do we call it that? It’s not even English.

David: Well, Newton wrote his ‘Principia’ in Latin, as was the practice of all scientists of the time. ‘Principia’ is the key word in the title, which we usually use when referring to this great work.

Susan: And I think you’re right David. Its significance lies in the way it finally created order. Before that, things were still confused, disordered, let’s say.

David: That’s right, Susan. With Newton, the heavens became like a clockwork mechanism, where the orbits and motion of the planets and comets could be predicted. Newton simply created order, and suddenly the universe seemed understandable.

Steve: Until Einstein came along, and confused the hell out of everyone.

David: Yes, I agree that his ‘Relativity’ is mathematically complex, but once you conquer this, it is remarkably straightforward.

Steve: Why did he call it Relativity anyway?

David: Because every motion is relative to the motion of other bodies. Hence, relativity!

Steve: I suppose it’s a logical name, when you think about it.

Susan: Yes, and the significance of the theory lay in the way it explained gravity. Prior to that, gravitational motion, or action at a distance, was just assumed to happen, but nobody quite knew why. Einstein was successful in providing a theory which explained this, and that theory has lasted to the present day. That makes it quite an accomplishment.

David: I think we’d have to agree that all three scientists accomplished much, in their own way.

Susan: So, David, you’re obviously impressed with these three scientists, so it would be interesting to know who you think was the greatest of all?

David: Well, strictly it’s impossible to say, since everything is relative to the times in which these scientists lived. Newton built upon the works of Galileo, and Einstein built upon the works of Newton.

Steve: But that’s not true, actually. Einstein’s theories were non-Newtonian - which is why they were so substantially ahead of their time. Given this, I’d say Einstein is the greatest.

David: Well, certainly Steve, I accept that Einstein was great, and substantially ahead of his time, but Newton’s laws are still used today. Galileo, in contrast, didn’t form any workable theory that lasted, and Einstein’s theories are more just theoretical abstractions.

Steve: Well, not really. We still use them for cosmological theories, black holes...

David: But not for everyday life. Not for normal planetary physics. In that sense, Newton has stood the test of time, and must be considered the best of all. What do you think Susan?

Susan: Did you know that Newton’s first law of motion is often attributed to Galileo? And that Galileo is known as the ‘Father of Modern Science’, even by Einstein, which supports him being the greatest. I would say that we must acknowledge the man who first started the scientific revolution. Without his work, we wouldn’t have Newton or Einstein.

David: Oh Susan, that’s ridiculous! Galileo’s works were unscientific and almost farcical. Look, here’s Peter. Let’s ask him. Peter! Which scientist do you think was the greatest?

Peter: Greatest? Ah, the old argument. Einstein is the conventional answer, but when it comes down to it, no one quite knows what his theories really mean. Newtonian physics is at least understandable, so I’ll go for him.

David: Yes. There you go!

Susan: Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

SECTION 4

You will hear a lecturer talking about brands and branding.

In the wild west, without fences or defined ownership of land, one man’s cattle could easily be mixed up with another - hence, cattle were branded - that is, a sign was scarred onto their skin using a hot iron brand. Well, we still use the word today, but in a more general sense. Putting it simply, a brand is a name, term, design, or symbol, which identifies one seller’s goods from another. The car model might be called an ‘Echo’ but the brand is ‘Toyota’, complete with the Toyota symbol. People will trust brands, leading them to buy other products of the same brand. Then, it has achieved ‘brand recognition’, which is a very good thing to have. Similarly, perhaps your clothes are Gucci, your jeans are Calvin Klein, your medicine is Proctor and Gamble, and your cheesecake is the pleasantly termed Sara Lee and that’s the way you like it.

Actually, all those previous brand names show you one way to coin the name of your brand. Just name your company, and its products, after yourself. This is known as using ‘Founders’ Names’ - which is alright if your name is catchy and cadent, such as, well, ‘Galvin Klein’. But there are many other ways as well.

Well, here are some other ways to decide on your new brand name. You could use an acronym, such as IBM, or AWA, which sounds modern, scientific, and technically proficient. You might also wish to evoke feelings with an evocative name, such as Everest Airlines, where the skies are yours, or Amazon Books, with streams of literature, biggest in the world, or Nike, named after the winged Greek God of victory. Alternatively, you might like to describe your product by using a descriptive brand name -- Safe and Sleek Bedding, EverAlert Security System, and so on. Or, you could make it rhyme to be more easily remembered. Reese’s Pieces, Fasta Pasta, and others. Another method is just to invent a word when none existed before, technically known as a neologism. Names such as ‘Wii’, ‘Kodak’ or ‘Rolex’. And, there are more methods as well. Each comes with its own appeal, but ultimately, everyone wants a ‘global brand’ Facebook, Pepsi, Nike - a name recognised all around the world.

Now, let’s go a little deeper into brands. One of the things which companies seek for their brands is an independent identity, or a concept regarding how the buyer feels about, or perceives, the product. A good example is Marlboro cigarettes, with its cowboy imagery, and sponsorship of car-racing, all targeting a manly tough male buyer. In other words, the images, commercials, logos, sponsorship, and product packaging, are all carefully designed to cultivate a single identity, which resonates, in theory, with the target market. The core clement of this is the logo the visual symbol that represents the brand.

So, if, for example, the product is for younger people, say,.. Nike jogging shoes, the catchcry is ‘Just do it’, and high-profile athletes appear in all their advertisements. Think of that Nike logo, that single tick, one of the most recognisable logos in the world, and it’s all consistent with the symbolism of power, speed, and freedom.

On the other hand, if you are targeting a richer, more mature, and male buyer, say... with Rolex watches, the brand image might be one of solidity, sophistication, reliability, and the Rolex logo, a crown, that sign of royalty, of might and power, top of the heap, similarly puts forward this image.

If we are targeting the younger teenage market, say... with Calvin Klein jeans, the brand image is one of sexiness, rebellion, and freedom from conventions. The logo is simply the name on the jeans, but it is linked to that famous series of sexy models and those controversial ads , which still run to this. day.

This is all big science now, collectively known as ‘brand management’. It’s complicated, but when done well, can result in millions of dollars in extra sales.

	Type of Name
A	Acronym
B	Descriptive
C	Evocative
D	Founders' names
E	Neologism
F	Rhyming

Product	Logo/Symbol	Image
Marlboro cigarettes	a cowboy	sponsorship of 36
Nike 37	a single tick	power, speed and 38
Rolex watches	a 39	solid, smart, reliable
Calvin Klein jeans	the name	put forward by a series of 40 advertisements

IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 16 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Tips for improving your ielts score

IELTS Mock Test Reading

Questions 1-5

Questions 6-10

Questions 16-20

Questions 21-26

Questions 27-30

Questions 31-32

Questions 33-35

Questions 36-40

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

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Physicist	Name of Significant Work	Reason for Significance
Galileo	21	It 22 the authority
23	Principia	It 24
Einstein	25	It 26

IELTS Practice Test Volume 1

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 16 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Share your score

Tips for improving your ielts score

IELTS Mock Test Reading

Questions 1-5

Questions 6-10

Questions 16-20

Questions 21-26

Questions 27-30

Questions 31-32

Questions 33-35

Questions 36-40

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Comments:

About us

Our mission