IELTS Practice Tests Plus Volume 1

Published on: 13 Dec 2017
Tests taken: 582,485

Answer Keys:

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Part 1: Question 1 - 10

1 B
2 A
3 B
4 C
5 Hagerty

6 ricky45
7 29(th) February
8 business
9 conversation/to communicate
10 (at) school

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

11 loyal
12 statue
13 (possibly) count
14 gentle (nature)
15 donations/donors

16 search and rescue
17 (international) database
18 love their food/love food/love eating
19 80 people/eighty people
20 in a team

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

21 father's workshop
22 1824
23 night writing
24 B

25 A
26 C
27 C
28 30 B,C,E

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

31 (particular) events
32 string(s)
33 14 days
34 (a) fortnight/2 weeks/two weeks
35 (over) six months/6 months

36 language
37 retrieve/recall/recover
38 (an) argument
39 70%
40 40%

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Review & Explanations:

Part 1: Questions 1-10

Questions 1-4

Circle the correct letters A-C.

Example

Which course is the man interested in?

A. English

B. Mandarin

C. Japanese

What kind of course is the man seeking?

A Daytime
B Evenings
C Weekends

Answer: B

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Q1. . What kind of course is the man seeking?

A. Daytime

B. Evenings

C. Weekends

Man: Oh! I couldn't manage full time as I work every day but evenings would be fine and certainly preferable to weekends.

Woman: Well, we don't offer courses at the weekend anyway

The keywords concerned in Q1 are “what course”, “seeking”

Following the conversation, we can hear the man mentioned “evenings would be fine and certainly preferable to weekends”, but the woman said that “they don’t offer courses at the weekend anyway”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q1 should be “B. evenings”

How long does the man want to study?

A 12 weeks
B 6 months
C 8 months

Answer: A

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Q2. How long does the man want to study?

A. 12 weeks

B. 6 months

C. 8 months

Woman: Well, we don't offer courses at the weekend anyway, but let me run through your options. We have a 12-week intensive course three hours three nights a week - that's our crash course! Or an eight month course two nights a week

Man: I think the crash course would suit me best as I'll be leaving for Japan in six months time.

The keywords concerned in Q2 are “how long”, “want to study”

Following the conversation, we can hear the woman mentioned 2 courses, one is 12-week intensive course and another is eight-month course”, but the man said that “the crash course would suit me best”.

“Crash” means “very fast”. That means the man wants to study “12-week intensive course”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q2 should be “A. 12 weeks”

What proficiency level is the student?

A Beginner
B Intermediate
C Advanced

Answer: B

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Q3. What proficiency level is the student?

A. Beginner

B. Intermediate

C. Advanced

Woman: Are you a beginner?

Man: Not a complete beginner, no!

Woman: Well ... we offer the courses at three levels, beginners, lower intermediate and upper intermediate, though we don't always run them all. It depends very much on demand.

Man: I'd probably be at the lower intermediate level - as I did some Japanese at school but that was ages ago.

The keywords concerned in Q3 is “what level”, “student”

Following the conversation, we can hear the man said that he is not a complete beginner, so we could rule out option A.

When the woman mentioned other levels (lower intermediate, upper intermediate), the man said that he is at the lower intermediate level.

Thus, the correct answer for Q3 should be “B. Intermediate”

When does the man want to start the course?

A March
B June
C September

Answer: C

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Q4. . When does the man want to start the course?

A. March

B. June

C. September

Woman: Right, well the next Level Two course begins on Monday 12th September - there are still some places on that one - otherwise you'd have to wait until January or March.

Man: No - I'd prefer the next course.

The keywords concerned in Q4 is “what level”, “student”

Following the conversation, we can hear the man said that he’d prefer the next course (on Monday 12thSeptember)

Thus, the correct answer for Q4 should be “C. September”

Questions 5-10

Complete the form.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Language Centre

Client Information Card

Name: Richard 5

E-mail address: 6 @hotmail.com

Date of birth: 7 1980

Reason for studying Japanese: 8

Specific learning needs: 9

Place of previous study (if any): 10

5 Answer: Hagerty

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Q5.

Name: Richard

Woman: What's your name? Family name first.

Man: Hagerty. Richard.

Woman: H A G A R T Y?

Man: No. H AG E RTY

The keywords concerned in Q5 is “name”, the answer for Q5 should be the man’s family name.

Following the conversation, we can hear the woman spelled the man’s name, but it was wrong, the man spelled it again. The answer is H-A-G-E-R-T-Y.

Thus, the correct answer for Q5 should be “Hagerty”

6 Answer: ricky45

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Q6.

E-mail address: _________ @hotmail.com

Woman: Right. What's your email address?

Man: It's ricky45 - that's one word R I C K Y 4 5, at hotmail dot com.

The keywords concerned in Q6 is “e-mail address”, the answer for Q6 should be a sequence of letter and number.

Following the conversation, we can hear the man spelled his e-mail address as one word Ricky45@hotmail.com. Because “@hotmail.com” appeared in Q6.

Thus, the correct answer for Q6 should be “Ricky45”

7 Answer: 29(th) February

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Q7.

Date of birth: _________1980

Woman: What's your date of birth?

Man: I was born on 29th February 1980.

Woman: ... 1980! So you're a leap year baby! That's unusual.

The keywords concerned in Q7 is “date of birth”, the answer for Q7 should be a date.

Following the conversation, we can hear the man said he was born on 29th February 1980

Because 1980 appeared in Q7, the answer for Q7 should be 29th February.

Thus, the correct answer for Q7 should be “29th February”

Note: You may guest the man’s date of birth when the woman said that “he is a leap year baby”, it refers to people who were born in 29th February.

8 Answer: business

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Q8.

Reason for studying Japanese: _______

Woman: What are your main reasons for studying Japanese? Business, travel or general interest.

Man: My company's sending me to Japan for two years.

Woman: Alright - I'll put down “Business”

The keyword concerned in Q8 is “reason”

Following the conversation, we can hear the woman mentioned “business, travel or general interest” as reason for studying Japanese. And finally, she chose “business” to write down.

Thus, the correct answer for Q8 should be “Business”

9 Answer: conversation/to communicate

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Q9.

Specific learning needs: _________

Woman:…And do you have any specific needs? Will there be an emphasis on written language? For instance, will you need to know how to write business letters, that sort of thing?

Man: No. But I will need to be able to communicate with people on a day-to-day basis.

Woman: OK so I'll put down ' conversation '.

Man: Yes….

The keyword concerned in Q9 is “specific needs”

Following the conversation, we can hear the woman mentioned “conversation” as specific needs and the man said “Yes”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q9 should be “Conversation”

10 Answer: (at) school

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Q10.

Place of previous study (if any): _______

Woman: You said you'd studied some Japanese. Where did you study?

Man: Three years at school. Then I gave it up so I've forgotten a fair bit. You know how it is with languages if you don't have the chance to use them.

The keywords concerned in Q8 are “place”, “previous study”

Following the conversation, we can easily hear the man said that he used to study Japanese at school.

Thus, the correct answer for Q10 should be “School”

Part 1

Part 2: Questions 11-20

Questions 11-12

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer

The story illustrates that dogs are 11 animals.

The people of the town built a 12 of a dog.

11 Answer: loyal

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Q11.

The story illustrates that dogs are ________ animals

Dogs have earned themselves a reputation over the centuries for being extremely loyal. And here's a little story which illustrates just how loyal they are.

The keywords concerned in Q11 are “dogs”, “animals”, we can assume that the answer for Q11 may be an adjective. (character of a dog)

Following the speech, we can easily hear the man said that “here’s a little story which illustrates just how loyal they (dogs) are”. The answer for Q11 should be “loyal”

Thus, the correct answer for Q11 should be “loyal”

Note: we can easily guess the answer for Q11 should be “loyal” according to real knowledge.

12 Answer: statue

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Q12.

The people of the town built a ________ of a dog.

Well ... the story, which was immortalized in a song, has it that the poor dog died waiting for his master ‘five miles from GundegaiV, which is where they built the statue. Now that's what I call loyalty!

The keywords concerned in Q12 are “town”, “built”. We can assume that the answer for Q12 may a noun.

Following the speech, we can hear the man said “they built the statue thank for the loyalty of the dog”

Thus, the correct answer for Q12 should be “statue”

Note: we can guess the answer for Q12 may be statue, monument, photo, picture…

Questions 13-20

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

TYPE OF WORKING DOG	ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE JOB	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Sheep dogs	Smart, obedient	Herd sheep and 13 them
Guide dogs	Confident and 14	Training paid for by 15
Guard dogs and 16 dogs	Tough and courageous	Dogs and trainers available through 17
Detector dogs	Need to really 18	In Sydney they catch 19 a month
Transport dogs	Happy working 20	International treaty bans huskies from Antarctica

13 Answer: (possibly) count

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Q13.

Sheep dogs

Herd sheep and _______ them

Sheepdogs which work in unison with their masters need to be smart and obedient with a natural ability to herd sheep. Some farmers say that their dogs are so smart that they not only herd sheep, they can count them, too!

The keyword concerned in Q13 is “sheep dogs”. We can assume that the answer for Q13 may be a verb.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the man said that their dogs not only herd sheep, but also can count them.

Thus, the correct answer for Q13 should be “count”

14 Answer: gentle (nature)

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Q14.

Guide dogs

Confident and ________

Guide dogs, usually Labradors, need to be confident enough to lead their owner through traffic and crowds but they must also be of a gentle nature.

The keyword concerned in Q14 is “Guide dogs”. We can assume that the answer for Q14 may be an adjective.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the man said that “dogs confident and also be of a gentle nature”. The answer for Q14 should be an adjective, so we choose “gentle” as the answer for Q14.

Thus, the correct answer for Q14 should be “gentle”

15 Answer: donations/donors

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Q15.

Guide dogs

Training paid for by _________

It costs a great deal of money to train a dog for this very valuable work but the Guide Dog Associations in the UK, America and Australia receive no government assistance so all the money comes from donations .

The keywords concerned in Q14 are “Guide dogs”, “training paid for by”. We can assume that the answer for Q15 may be a noun.

Following the speech, we can hear the man said that “training a dog costs a great deal of money and all the money comes from donations”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q15 should be “donations”

Note: the man mentioned “government assistance” also, but in his speech, training dogs did not receive money from government assistance. So, “government assistance” is not the answer.

16 Answer: search and rescue

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Q16.

Guard dogs and ________ dogs

German shepherds make excellent guard dogs and are also very appropriate as search and rescue dogs working in disaster zones after earthquakes and avalanches.

We can assume that the answer for Q16 may refer to a type of working dog relating to guard dogs or something like this.

Following the speech, we can hear the man mentioned “guard dogs and also search and rescue dogs”. Because “guard dogs” is mentioned in Q16, so the answer for Q16 should be “search and rescue”

Thus, the correct answer for Q16 should be “search and rescue”

17 Answer: (international) database

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Q17.

Guard dogs

Dogs and trainers available through ________

And so that they can be sent anywhere in the world to assist in disaster relief operations, effective dogs and their trainers are now listed on an international database.

The keywords concerned in Q17 is “dogs and trainers”, “available”

Following the speech, we can easily hear the man said that “dogs and their trainers are now listed on an international database”.

“Available through” and “be listed on” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q17 should be “international database”

18 Answer: love their food/love food/love eating

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Q18.

Detector dogs

Need to really _________

In order to be effective, a good detector dog must have an enormous food drive - in other words they must really love their food.

The keyword concerned in Q18 is “”detector dogs”. We can assume that the answer for Q18 may be a verb.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the man said that “they (detector dogs) must really love their food”.

“Need” and “must” have the same meaning in this case.

All the words in Q18 are mentioned, the answer for Q18 should be “love their food”

Thus, the correct answer for Q18 should be “love (their) food”

19 Answer: 80 people/eighty people

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Q19.

Detector dogs

In Sydney they catch _______ a month

At Sydney airport where there are ten detector dogs working full time, they stop about 80 people a month trying to bring illegal goods into the country.

The keywords concerned in Q19 are “detector dogs”, “Sydney”, “a month”. We can assume that the answer for Q19 may be a number.

Following the speech, we can hear the man said that “At Sydney airport, they (detector dogs) stop about 80 people a month trying to bring illegal goods into at country”, it means that detector dogs catch 80 people a month in Sydney.

“Catch” and “stop..bring illegal goods” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q19 should be “80 people”

20 Answer: in a team

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Q20.

Transport dogs

Happy working ________

Huskies, which originally came from Siberia, have been used for decades as a means of transport on snow, particularly in Antarctica where they have played an important role. Huskies are well adapted to harsh conditions and they enjoy working in a team

The keywords concerned in Q20 are “transport dogs”, “happy working”

Following the speech, we can hear the man mentioned Huskies as transport dogs, he also said that “Huskies are well adapted to harsh conditions and they enjoy working in a team”

“Happy working” and “enjoy working” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q20 should be “in a team”.

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Part 2

Part 3: Questions 21-30

Questions 21-23

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or A NUMBER for each answer.

Braille - a system of writing for the blind

Louis Braille was blinded as a child in his 21
Braille invented the writing system in the year 22
An early writing system for the blind used embossed letters.
A military system using dots was called 23

21 Answer: father's workshop

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Q21.

Louis Braille was blinded as a child in his ________

Dr. Graycar: Well ... he wasn't born blind, but he lost his sight at the age of three as the result of an accident in his father's workshop.

The keywords concerned in Q21 are “blinded”, “child”, “his”. We can assume that the answer for Q21 may be a noun.

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned “He (Louis Braille) lost his sight at the age of three as the result of an accident in his father’s workshop”

“Was blinded” and “lost the sight” have the same meaning in this case.

“A child” refers to “age of three” in this context.

Thus, the correct answer for Q21 should be “father’s workshop”

22 Answer: 1824

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Q22.

Braille invented the writing system in the year _________

Louis Braille then went to Paris to the National Institute for Blind Children and that's where he invented his writing system at the age of only 15 in 1824 while he was at the Institute.

The keywords concerned in Q22 are “invented”, “writing system”, “in the year”. We can assume that the answer for Q22 may be a year.

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned directly that “ Louis Braille invented his writing system in 1824”

Thus, the correct answer for Q22 should be “1824”

Note: Because in Q22 asked about the year Louis invented the writing system, not the age of him, so we choose “1824” as the correct answer for Q22.

23 Answer: night writing

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Q23.

A military system using dots was called _________

When he first went to Paris he heard about a military system of writing using twelve dots. This was a system invented by an enterprising French army officer and it was known as ' night writing ' It wasn't meant for the blind, but rather ... for battle communications at night.

The keywords concerned in Q23 are “military system”, “called”. We can assume that the answer for Q23 may be a specific noun.

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned directly that “It was known as night writing”.

“Was called” and “was known as” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q23 should be “night writing”

Questions 24-27

Circle the correct letters A-C.

Which diagram shows the Braille positions?

oooo oooo oooo	oo oo oo	ooo ooo
A	B	C

Answer: B

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Q24.

Which diagram shows the Braille positions?

oooo
oooo
oooo

oo
oo
oo

ooo
ooo

Braille numbered the dot positions 1-2-3 downward on the left and 4-5-6 downward on the right.

The keywords concerned in Q24 are “which diagram”, “Braille positions”.

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned directly that “Braille numbered positions 1-2-3 downward on the left and 4-5-6 downward on the right”, we can easily choose option B as the correct answer for Q24

Thus, the correct answer for Q24 should be “B”

What can the combined dots represent?

A both letters and words
B only individual words
C only letters of the alphabet

Answer: A

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Q25.

What can the combined dots represent?

A. both letters and words

B. only individual words

C. only letters of the alphabet

Dr. Graycar: The letters of the alphabet are then formed by using different combinations of these dots.

Student: So you spell out most words letter by letter, but you use short forms for common words.

Dr. Graycar: Yes. Though, I think that makes it sound a little easier than it actually is!

The keywords concerned in Q25 are “what”, “combined dots”, “represent”. We could rule out option B and C because:

+ Option B: we can hear the man said “So is the writing system based on the alphabet with each word being individually spelt out?” and the Doctor answered “It’s not quite simple”. It means that combined dots cannot be represented by only individual words.

+ Option C: we can hear that the man said “use short forms for common words” and the Doctor said “Yes”. It means that option C is not correct.

We choose option A as the correct answer for Q25 because:

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned that “using different combinations of these dots.”

The man said that “spell out most words letter by letter, but use short forms for common words” and the Doctor said “Yes”. It means that combined dots can represent by letter and words.

Thus, the correct answer for Q25 should be “A”

When was the Braille system officially adopted?

A as soon as it was invented
B two years after it was invented
C after Louis Braille had died

Answer: C

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Q26.

When was the Braille system officially adopted?

A. as soon as it was invented

B. two years after it was invented

C. after Louis Braille had died

Chairman: And was it immediately accepted? I mean, did it catch on straight away?

Dr. Graycar: Well, yes and no! It was immediately accepted and used by Braille's fellow students at the school but the system was not officially adopted until 1854, two years after Braille's death. So, official acceptance was slow in coming!

The keywords concerned in Q26 are “when”, “Braille system”, “officially adopted”.

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned that “the system was not officially adopted until 1854, two years after Braille's death”. It means that the Braille system officially adopted after Louis Braille had died.

Thus, the correct answer for Q26 should be “C”

Note: Don’t misunderstand option A as the answer because the doctor said “it (the Braille system) is accepted immediately and used by Braille fellow students at school”, she mentioned that the system was official adopted after Louis Braille had died.

“Was accepted” and “was official adopted” have different meaning in this case.

What is unusual about the way Braille is written?

A It can only be written using a machine.
B The texts have to be read backwards.
C Handwritten Braille is created in reverse.

Answer: C

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Q27.

What is unusual about the way Braille is written?

A. It can only be written using a machine.

B. The texts have to be read backwards.

C. Handwritten Braille is created in reverse.

Student: Can it be written by hand or do you need a machine to produce Braille?

Dr. Graycar: Well, you can write it by hand on to paper with a device called a slate and stylus but the trick is that you have to write backwards ... e.g. from right to left so that then when you turn your sheet over, the dots face upwards and can be read like English from left to right.

Student: Oh, I see.

The keywords concerned in Q27 are “what”, “unusual”, “written”. We can rule out option A and B because:

+ Option A: the doctor said that “you can write by hand…”, it means option A is not correct.

+ Option B: the doctor said that “the trick is that you have to write backwards”, not read. So, option B is not correct too.

We choose option C to be the correct answer for Q27 because:

Following the conversation, we can hear the doctor mentioned that “the trick is that you have to write backwards”. It means that the way Braille is written is in reverse.

“Reverse” and “backwards” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q27 should be “C”

Questions 28-30

What THREE SUBJECTS use Braille code?

A Physics
B Maths
C Music
D Theater study
E Science

28-30 Answer: B,C,E

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Q28-30.

List THREE subjects that also use a Braille code.

Dr. Graycar: Yes, indeed. In addition to the literary Braille code, as it's known, which of course includes English and French, there are other codes. For instance, in 1965 they created a form of Braille for Mathematics.

Student: I can’t, imagine trying to do maths in Braille!

Dr. Graycar: Yes, that does sound difficult, I agree. And there's also a version for scientific notation. Oh and yes, I almost forgot, there is now a version for music notation as well.

The keywords concerned in Q28-30 are “three subjects”, “Braille code”. We can easily assume that the answers for Q28, 29 and 30 may be 03 names of subjects.

Following the conversation, we can easily hear the doctor mentioned “mathematics, scientific notation and music notation”. Because the answer must be no more than one word, so the answers for Q28, 29 and 30 should be “mathematics, science, music (in any order)”

Thus, the correct answer for Q28, 29, 30 should be “mathematics (maths), science, music”

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Part 3

Part 4: Questions 31-40

Questions 31-35

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS and/ or A NUMBER for each answer

Question:

Can babies remember any 31 ?

Experiment with babies:

Apparatus:

baby in cot

colourful mobile

some 32

Re-introduce mobile between one and 33 later.

Table showing memory test results

Baby’s age	Maximum memory span
2 months	2 days
3 months	34
21 months	several weeks
2 years	35

31 Answer: (particular) events

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Q31.

Question: Can babies remember any (31)______

One of the first questions that we might ask is - do babies have any kind of episodic memory ... can they remember particular events?

The keywords concerned in Q31 are “babies”, “remember”. We can easily assume that the answer for Q31 may be a noun.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the lecturer mentioned directly that “can they (babies) remember particular events?”

Thus, the correct answer for Q31 should be “(particular) events”

32 Answer: string(s)

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Q32

Experiment with babies:

Apparatus:

baby in cot

colourful mobile

some _________

Re-introduce mobile between one and ________ later

Well, one experiment that's been used has produced some interesting results. It's quite simple and involves a baby, in its cot, a colourful mobile and a piece of string. It works like this. If you suspend the mobile above the cot and connect the baby's foot to it with the string the mobile will move every time the baby kicks. Now you can allow time for the baby to learn what happens and enjoy the activity. Then you remove the mobile for a time and re-introduce it sometimes from one to fourteen days later.

The keyword concerned in Q32 and Q33 is “experiment with babies”. The answers for Q32 and Q33 refer to experiment with babies, apart from “baby in cot”, “colorful mobile” as mentioned before.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the lecturer said that “It's quite simple and involves a baby, in its cot, a colourful mobile and a piece of string”. Besides “in cot” and “colorful mobile” she mentioned “piece of string” as the next apparatus, so the answer for Q32 should be “string”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q32 should be “string”

33 Answer: 14 days

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Q33

Experiment with babies:

Apparatus:

baby in cot

colourful mobile

some _________

Re-introduce mobile between one and ________ later

We can hear the lecturer mentioned directly “re-introduce it (mobile) from one to fourteen days later”. It’s totally the same words in Q33, so the answer for Q33 should be “fourteen days”

Thus, the correct answer for Q33 should be “fourteen days”

34 Answer: (a) fortnight/2 weeks/two weeks

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Q34-35.

Table showing memory test results

Baby’s age	Maximum memory span
2 months	2 days
3 months	34 _______
21 months	several weeks
2 years	35 _________

If you look at this table of results ... at the top two rows ... you can see that what is observed shows that two- month-old babies can remember the trick for up to two days and three-month-old babies for up to a fortnight.

The keywords concerned in Q34 and Q35 are “maximum memory span”, “3 months”, “2 years”.

We can easily assume that the answers for Q34 and Q35 are periods of time (number of days or months)

Following the speech, we can hear the lecturer mentioned “two-month-old babies can remember up to two days and three-month-old babies up to a fortnight”.

The answer for Q34 should be “a fortnight” (or 2 weeks).

35 Answer: (over) six months/6 months

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Q35.

Table showing memory test results

Baby’s age	Maximum memory span
2 months	2 days
3 months	34 _______
21 months	several weeks
2 years	35 _________

Follow the speech, the lecturer also mentioned maximum memory span of 21-month-old babies may be up to several weeks, and “when they (babies) are two, some children's memories will stretch back over six months”. So, it means that the memory span of 2-year-old babies may up to 6 months. The answer for Q35 should be “six months”

Thus, the correct answer for Q35 should be “six months"/ "over six months".

Questions 36-40

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR NUMBER for each answer

Research questions:

Is memory linked to 36 development?

Can babies 37 their memories?

Experiment with older children:

Stages in incident:

a) lecture taking place

b) object falls over

c) 38

Table showing memory test results
Age	% remembered next day	% remembered after 5 months
Adults	70%	39
9-year-olds	70%	Less than 60%
6-year-olds	Just under 70%	better than 40

36 Answer: language

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Q36.

Research questions:

Is memory linked to _________ development?

The keywords concerned in Q36 are “research questions”, “memory”, “linked” and “development”. We can assume that the answer for Q36 may be a noun or an adjective.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the lecturer asked “Is that memory develops with language?” It means that the question here is memory is linked to language or not?

Thus, the correct answer for Q36 should be “language”

37 Answer: retrieve/recall/recover

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Q37.

Research questions:

Can babies _________ their memories?

Though they may be capable of storing memories, do they have the ability to retrieve them?

The keywords concerned in Q37 are “research questions”, “babies”, “can”, “memories”.

We can assume that the answer for Q37 may be a verb.

Following the speech, we can easily hear the lecturer asked “Do they (babies) have the ability to retrieve them (memories)?”

“Can” and “have the ability” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q37 should be “retrieve”

38 Answer: (an) argument

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Q38.

Experiment with older children:

Stages in incident:

a) lecture taking place

b) object falls over

c) __________

The incident went like this ... a lecture which they were listening to was suddenly interrupted by something accidentally overturning; in this case it was a slide projector. To add a third stage and make the recall more demanding, this 'accident' was then followed by an argument

The keywords concerned in Q38 are “experiment with older children”

We can assume that the answer for Q38 may be a noun (a stage in incident besides lecture, object…)

Following the speech, we can hear the lecturer mentioned “a lecture…”, “something accidently overturning…” (“Object falls over” and “something accidently overturning” have the same meaning in this case.)

She also mentioned “a third stage” (Q38), “this accident was then followed by an argument”.

Thus, the correct answer for Q38 should be “an argument”

39 Answer: 70%

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Q39.

% remembered after 5 months of Adult?

In a memory test the following day, the adults and the nine-year-olds scored an average 70% and the six- year-olds did only slightly worse. In a retest five months later, the pattern was very different. The adults' memory recall hadn't changed.

The keywords concerned in Q39 are “Adult”, “% remembered after 5 months”

We can assume that the answer for Q39 may be a number (percentage)

Following the speech, we can hear the lecturer mentioned “the adults scored an average 70%, and in a retest five months later, the adults’ memory recall hadn’t changed”, it means that after five months, % remembered of Adult scored an average 70%.

Thus, the correct answer for Q39 should be “70%”

40 Answer: 40%

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Q40.

% remembered after 5 months of 6-year-olds?

In a retest five months later, the pattern was very different. The adults' memory recall hadn't changed but the nine-year-olds' had slipped to less than 60% and the six-year-olds could manage little better than 40% recall.

The keywords concerned in Q40 are “6-year-olds”, “% remembered after 5 months”

We can assume that the answer for Q40 may be a number (percentage)

Following the speech, we can hear the lecturer mentioned “in a retest five months later, the six-year-olds could manage little better than 40% recall”, it means that after five months, % remembered of Adult scored 40%.

“Remembered” and “recall” have the same meaning in this case.

Thus, the correct answer for Q40 should be “40%”.

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Great thanks to volunteer Thủy Nguyễn has contributed these explanations.

If you want to make a better world like this, please contact us.

Part 4

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Section 1

Woman: Good morning! University Language Centre. How can I help you?

Man: I'm interested in doing a language course. I did Mandarin last year and now I'd like to do Japanese. Can you give me some information about what courses are available at your centre and when they start. That sort of thing?

Woman: Yes, certainly. Well, we actually offer a number of courses in Japanese at different levels. Are you looking for full time or part time?

Man: Oh! I couldn't manage full time as I work every day but evenings would be fine and certainly preferable to weekends.

Woman: Well, we don't offer courses at the weekend anyway, but let me run through your options. We have a 12-week intensive course three hours three nights a week - that's our crash course! Or an eight month course two nights a week

Man: I think the crash course would suit me best as I'll be leaving for Japan in six months time.

Woman: Are you a beginner?

Man: Not a complete beginner, no!

Woman: Well ... we offer the courses at three levels, beginners, lower intermediate and upper intermediate, though we don't always run them all. It depends very much on demand.

Man: I'd probably be at the lower intermediate level - as I did some Japanese at school but that was ages ago.

Woman: Right, well the next Level Two course begins on Monday 12th September - there are still some places on that one - otherwise you'd have to wait until January or March.

Man: No - I'd prefer the next course.

Woman: Right! Can I get some details from you then so I can send you some information?

Man: Sure!

Woman: What's your name? Family name first.

Man: Hagerty. Richard.

Woman: H A G A R T Y?

Man: No. H AG E RTY

Woman: Oh, OK! And your address, Richard?

Man: Well perhaps you could email it to me.

Woman: Right. What's your email address?

Man: It's ricky45 - that's one word R I C K Y 4 5, at hotmail dot com.

Woman: And I just need some other information for our statistics. This helps us offer the best possible courses and draw up a profile of our students.

Man: Fine!

Woman: What's your date of birth?

Man: I was born on 29th February 1980.

Woman: ... 1980! So you're a leap year baby! That's unusual.

Man: Yes - it is!

Woman: ... and just one or two other questions for our market research, if you don't mind.

Man: No, that's fine.

Woman: What are your main reasons for studying Japanese? Business, travel or general interest.

Man: My company's sending me to Japan for two years.

Woman: Alright - I'll put down 'Business'. And do you have any specific needs? Will there be an emphasis on written language? For instance, will you need to know how to write business letters, that sort of thing?

Man: No. But I will need to be able to communicate with people on a day-to-day basis.

Woman: OK so I'll put down 'conversation'.

Man: Yes, because I already know something about the writing system at an elementary level and I don't anticipate having to read too much.

Woman: You said you'd studied some Japanese. Where did you study?

Man: Three years at school. Then I gave it up so I've forgotten a fair bit. You know how it is with languages if you don't have the chance to use them.

Woman: Yes, but I'm sure it will all come back to you once you get going again. Now once we receive your enrolment form we'll …

Section 2

Announcer: Welcome to this week's edition of Country Wide. And today we're taking a look at a number of different breeds of working dogs. And here to report on the dogs with jobs is Kevin Thornhill.

Kevin: Thanks, Joanne. Well yes, dogs with jobs is the subject of today's programme. Dogs have earned themselves a reputation over the centuries for being extremely loyal. And here's a little story which illustrates just how loyal they are. Just outside the country town of Gundagai, is a statue built to commemorate a dog - a dog which sat waiting for his owner to return to the spot where he'd left him. Well ... the story, which was immortalised in a song, has it that the poor dog died waiting for his master ‘five miles from GundegaiV, which is where they built the statue. Now that's what I call loyalty!

Well, because of their loyalty and also their ability to learn practical skills dogs can be trained to do a number of very valuable jobs. Perhaps the most well known of working dogs is the border collie sheep dog. Sheep dogs which work in unison with their masters need to be smart and obedient with a natural ability to herd sheep. Some farmers say that their dogs are so smart that they not only herd sheep, they can count them, too!

Another much-loved working dog is the guide dog, trained to work with the blind. Guide dogs, usually Labradors, need to be confident enough to lead their owner through traffic and crowds but they must also be of a gentle nature. It costs a great deal of money to train a dog for this very valuable work but the Guide Dog Associations in the UK, America and Australia receive no government assistance so all the money comes from donations.

Another common breed of work dog is the German shepherd. German shepherds make excellent guard dogs and are also very appropriate as search and rescue dogs working in disaster zones after earthquakes and avalanches. These dogs must be tough and courageous to cope with the arduous conditions of their work. And so that they can be sent anywhere in the world to assist in disaster relief operations, effective dogs and their trainers are now listed on an international database.

When you arrive at an airport here in Australia, you may be greeted in the baggage hall by a detector dog, wearing a little red coat bearing the words 'Quarantine'. These dogs are trained to sniff out fresh fruit as well as meat and even live animals hidden in people's bags. In order to be effective, a good detector dog must have an enormous food drive - in other words they must really love their food. At Sydney airport where there are ten detector dogs working full time, they stop about 80 people a month trying to bring illegal goods into the country. And according to their trainers, they very rarely get it wrong! Another famous working dog is the husky. Huskies, which originally came from Siberia, have been used for decades as a means of transport on snow, particularly in Antarctica where they have played an important role. Huskies are well adapted to harsh conditions and they enjoy working in a team. But the huskies have all left Antarctica now because the International Treaty prohibits their use in the territory as they are not native animals. Many people were sad to see the dogs leave Antarctica as they had been vital to the early expeditions and earned their place in history along with the explorers.

Section 3

Chairman: We're very pleased to welcome to our special interest group today, Dr. Linda Graycar who is from the City Institute for the Blind. Linda is going to talk to us about the system of writing for the blind known as Braille. Linda, welcome.

Dr. Graycar: Thank you.

Chairman: Now we'd like to keep this session pretty informal, and I know Linda won't mind if members of the group want to ask questions as we go along. Let's start with an obvious one. What is Braille and where does it get its name from?

Dr. Graycar: Well, as you said, Braille is a system of writing used by and for people who cannot see. It gets its name from the man who invented it, the Frenchman Louis Braille who lived in the early 19th century.

Chairman: Was Louis Braille actually blind himself?

Dr. Graycar: Well ... he wasn't born blind, but he lost his sight at the age of three as the result of an accident in his father's workshop. Louis Braille then went to Paris to the National Institute for Blind Children and that's where he invented his writing system at the age of only 15 in 1824 while he was at the Institute.

Chairman: But he wasn't the first person to invent a system of touch reading for the blind, was he?

Dr. Graycar: No - another Frenchman had already come up with the idea of printing embossed letters that stood out from the paper but this was very cumbersome and inefficient.

Chairman: Did Louis Braille base his system on this first one?

Dr. Graycar: No, not really. When he first went to Paris he heard about a military system of writing using twelve dots. This was a system invented by an enterprising French army officer and it was known as 'night writing' It wasn't meant for the blind, but rather ... for battle communications at night.

Chairman: That must've been fun!

Dr. Graycar: Anyway, Braille took this system as a starting point but instead of using the twelve dots which 'night writing' used, he cut the number of dots in half and developed a six-dot system.

Chairman: Can you give us a little more information about how it works?

Dr. Graycar: Well, it's a system of touch reading which uses an arrangement of raised dots called a cell. Braille numbered the dot positions 1-2-3 downward on the left and 4-5-6 downward on the right. The letters of the alphabet are then formed by using different combinations of these dots.

Student: So is the writing system based on the alphabet with each word being individually spelt out?

Dr. Graycar: Well ... it's not quite that simple, I'm afraid! For instance, the first 10 letters of the alphabet are formed using dots 1, 2, 4 and 5. But Braille also has its own short forms for common words. For example, 'b' for the word 'but' and 'h' for 'have' - there are many other contractions like this.

Chairman: So you spell out most words letter by letter, but you use short forms for common words.

Dr. Graycar: Yes. Though, I think that makes it sound a little easier than it actually is!

Chairman: And was it immediately accepted? I mean, did it catch on straight away?

Dr. Graycar: Well, yes and no! It was immediately accepted and used by Braille's fellow students at the school but the system was not officially adopted until 1854, two years after Braille's death. So, official acceptance was slow in coming!

Student: I suppose it works for all languages which use the roman alphabet?

Dr. Graycar: Yes, it does, with adaptations, of course.

Student: Can it be written by hand or do you need a machine to produce Braille?

Dr. Graycar: Well, you can write it by hand on to paper with a device called a slate and stylus but the trick is that you have to write backwards ... e.g. from right to left so that then when you turn your sheet over, the dots face upwards and can be read like English from left to right.

Student: Oh, I see.

Dr. Graycar: But these days you'd probably use a Braillewriting machine, which is a lot easier!

Chairman: And, tell us, Linda. Is Braille used in other ways? Other than for reading text?

Dr. Graycar: Yes, indeed. In addition to the literary Braille code, as it's known, which of course includes English and French, there are other codes. For instance, in 1965 they created a form of Braille for Mathematics.

Student: I can’t, imagine trying to do maths in Braille!

Dr. Graycar: Yes, that does sound difficult, I agree. And there's also a version for scientific notation. Oh and yes, I almost forgot, there is now a version for music notation as well.

Chairman: Well, thanks, Linda.

Section 4

Lecturer: We're going to look today at some experiments that have been done on memory in babies and young children.

Our memories, it's true to say, work very differently depending upon whether we are very old, very young or somewhere in the middle. But when exactly do we start to remember things and how much can we recall?

One of the first questions that we might ask is - do babies have any kind of episodic memory ... can they remember particular events? Obviously, we can't ask them, so how do we find out?

And although babies trained on one mobile will respond only if you use the familiar mobile, if you train them on a variety of colours and designs, they will happily respond to each one in turn.

Now, looking at the third row on the table, you will see that when they learn to speak, babies as young as 21 months demonstrate an ability to remember events which happened several weeks earlier. And by the time they are two, some children's memories will stretch back over six months, though their recall will be random, with little distinction between key events and trivial ones and very few of these memories, if any, will survive into later life. So we can conclude from this that even very tiny babies are capable of grasping and remembering a concept.

So how is it that young infants can suddenly remember for a considerably longer period of time? Well, one theory accounting for all of this - and this relates to the next question we might ask - is that memory develops with language. Very young children with limited vocabularies are not good at organising their thoughts. Though they may be capable of storing memories, do they have the ability to retrieve them? One expert has suggested an analogy with books on a library shelf. With infants, he says, 'it is as if early books are hard to find because they were acquired before the cataloguing system was developed'.

But even older children forget far more quickly than adults do. In another experiment, several six-year-olds, nine-year- olds and adults were shown a staged incident. In other words, they all watched what they thought was a natural sequence of events. The incident went like this ... a lecture which they were listening to was suddenly interrupted by something accidentally overturning, in this case it was a slide projector. To add a third stage and make the recall more demanding, this 'accident' was then followed by an argument. In a memory test the following day, the adults and the nine-year-olds scored an average 70% and the six- year-olds did only slightly worse. In a retest five months later, the pattern was very different. The adults' memory recall hadn't changed but the nine-year-olds' had slipped to less than 60% and the six-year-olds could manage little better than 40% recall.

In similar experiments with numbers, digit span is shown to...

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Braille - a system of writing for the blind

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Questions 36-40

Table showing memory test results

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IELTS Practice Tests Plus Volume 1

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Language Centre

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