TỰ HỌC IELTS

Cấu trúc bài thi IELTS

Bài nghe (30 phút)

• Trong phần thi listening bạn sẽ được nghe 4 đoạn hội thoại ghi âm gồm có: độc thoại, đàm thoại bởi một số người bản xứ có thể 2 hoặc nhiều người có giọng phát âm khác nhau của nhiều quốc gia khác.  Các đoạn hội thoại sẽ có độ khó tăng dần.
• Phần 1: Chủ đề đoạn hội thoại xoay quanh tình huống về cuộc sống, đó là cuộc đàm thoại giữa hai người. Ví dụ có thể là cuộc nói chuyện người bán hàng và mua hàng tại một siêu thị nhỏ.
• Phần 2: một đoạn độc thoại trọng ngữ thường ngày, đó có thể là các tình huống hướng dẫn và giới thiệu 1 chủ đề quen thuộc như du lịch, trường học…
• Phần 3. Đây sẽ là buổi đàm thoại giữa 3 người hoặc bốn người chủ đề xoay quanh giáo dục, ví dụ có thể thảo luận về bài tập trên lớp.
• Phần 4. Thí sinh sẽ được nghe đoạn độc thoại từ một người bản xứ có thể đang giảng bài hay thuyết trình về vấn đề gì đó? Đoạn hội thoại này mang tính học thuật cao.

Người thi sẽ có thời gian nghe là 30 phút và bạn chỉ được nghe 1 lần duy nhất. Tuy nhiên trước đó bạn có khoảng thời gian ngắn để đọc câu hỏi, suy đoán câu trả lời. Kết thúc 4 bài nghe các bạn sẽ có 10 phút để điền lại đáp án vào tờ answer sheet.

Bài nghe mẫu:

Hãy nghe clip dưới đây từ đầu đến phút thứ 7:30 và trả lời câu hỏi trong hình dưới 

Sau khi làm xong, các bạn xem đáp án ở dưới:

Bài đọc (60 phút)

Bài thi có 3 đoạn văn, độ khó tăng dần. Các đề đa phần được trích dẫn từ sách, báo, tạp chí… các đoạn văn được chọn dành cho đọc giả không mang tính chất chuyên môn.

VD mẫu:

Food Preservation

A             Food preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi or other micro- organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats that cause rancidity. Food preservation may also include processes that inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut.

B              Often, several food preservation methods are used together. Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling, to reduce the fruit’s moisture content and to kill bacteria, sugaring, to prevent re-growth of bacteria, and sealing within an airtight jar, to prevent recontamination.

Maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is an important aspect of food preservation, although, historically, some methods drastically altered the character of the food being preserved. In many cases these changes have come to be seen as desirable qualities – cheese, yogurt and pickled onions being common examples.

C              Drying is one of the oldest techniques used to hamper the decomposition of food products. As early as 12,000 B.C., Middle Eastern and Oriental cultures were drying foods using the power of the sun. Vegetables and fruit are naturally dried by the sun and wind, but in the Middle Ages, “still houses” were built in areas that did not have enough sunlight for drying to take place. A fire would be built inside the building to provide the heat to dry the various fruits, vegetables and herbs.

D             The earliest cultures also used sugar as a preservative, and it was commonplace to store fruit in honey. In northern climates without sufficient sun to dry foods, preserves were made by heating the fruit with sugar. Sugar kills microbes by drawing water from them and leaving the microbial cells dehydrated. In this way, the food remains safe from microbial spoilage. Sugar is used to preserve fruits, either in an anti-microbial syrup with fruit such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots and plums, or in crystallised form where the preserved material is cooked in sugar to the point of crystallisation and the resultant product is then stored dry. This method is used for the skins of citrus fruit.

E              Salting, or curing, is another ancient food preservation technique, involving the use of salt to draw moisture from meat through the process of osmosis. There is evidence of a trade in salt meat across ancient Europe. For example, the Gauls exported salt pork each year to Rome in large quantities, where it was sold in different cuts and used to feed Roman armies. In the 18th century, salt meat was one of the main foods for sailors on long voyages.

F              While traditional methods of food preservation are still very much in use, a range of modern industrial techniques are employed by commercial food producers. Perhaps the most well known of these is pasteurisation, which was invented by the French chemist Louis Pasteur in 1862. To remedy the frequent acidity of the local wines, Pasteur found that it is sufficient to heat a young wine to only about 50–60 °C for a brief time to kill microbes, and that the wine could subsequently be aged without sacrificing the final quality. Today the process of pasteurisation is used in the dairy and food industries for microbial control, most notably in the production of milk. Other modern methods of food preservation include vacuum packing, using artificial additives, irradiation, electroporation and high-pressure preservation.

G             Most of the food that we buy in shops and supermarkets has been preserved and made safe for consumption using at least one of the traditional or modern techniques. However, all foods are susceptible to spoiling, and food poisoning is still extremely common. In fact, recent research puts the figure for cases of food poisoning in the UK at more than 500,000 per year.

Questions 1 to 5 The reading passage above has seven paragraphs, labelled A to G.

Which paragraph contains the information in the five statements below? Write the letter of the correct paragraph.

Note. You may use the same letter more than once.

1. A technique that was originally used to preserve wines.
2. Examples of foods whose appeal derives from how they are preserved.
3. Spoiled food continues to cause illness.
4. Preserved food eaten by soldiers.
5. An example of different preservation techniques working together.

Questions 6 to 9 According to the passage, are the following statements TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN?

6. Several methods are employed to prevent bacterial contamination of jam.
7. Drying was only used in places with sufficient sunlight.
8. Sugar was the most valued preservative in ancient times.
9. The Romans imported salted meat because of its high quality.

Đáp án:

1. F
2. B
3. G
4. E
5. B
6. TRUE
7. FALSE
8. NOT GIVEN
9. NOT GIVEN

Bài viết (60 phút):

Bài Viết của IELTS Academic bao gồm 2 phần Writing task 1 và Writing task 2

• Bài viết task 1: Viết ít nhất 150 từ mô tả một biểu đồ, bản đồ, bảng biểu
• Bài viết task 2: Bài luận ít nhất 250 từ

VD bài viết task 1:

Bài làm mẫu:

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of women, men and children consuming five servings of fruit and vegetables each day during the period of 8 years from 2001 to 2008 in the UK.

It is clear that the highest percentage of all people consuming fruit and vegetables was women, while children consistently accounted for the lowest proportion. Furthermore, a significant increase in the proportion of people eating these food items can be seen over the period shown.

The percentage of women who ate fruit and vegetables started at just over 20% in 2001. This figure then rose steadily to reach a peak of almost 35% in 2006, before falling slightly to 30% in the final year.

In terms of men and children eating fruit and vegetables, the rate remained relatively stable in the first three years (about 17% and 12% respectively). From this point, the proportion of men climbed gradually to peak at about 27% in both 2006 and 2007, after which it dropped to about 26%. A similar growth was seen in the figure for children when it reached 25% in 2007 and around 24% in the final year.

VD bài viết task 2:

Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Bài mẫu:

When they finish school, teenagers face the dilemma of whether to get a job or continue their education. While there are benefits to getting a job straight after school, I would argue that it is better to go to college or university.

The option to start work straight after school is attractive for several reasons. Many young people want to start earning money as soon as possible. In this way, they can become independent, and they will be able to afford their own house or start a family. In terms of their career, young people who decide to find work, rather than continue their studies, may progress more quickly. They will have the chance to gain real experience and learn practical skills related to their chosen profession. This may lead to promotions and a successful career.

On the other hand, I believe that it is more beneficial for students to continue their studies. Firstly, academic qualifications are required in many professions. For example, it is impossible to become a doctor, teacher or lawyer without having the relevant degree. As a result, university graduates have access to more and better job opportunities, and they tend to earn higher salaries than those with fewer qualifications. Secondly, the job market is becoming increasingly competitive, and sometimes there are hundreds of applicants for one position in a company. Young people who do not have qualifications from a university or college will not be able to compete.

For the reasons mentioned above, it seems to me that students are more likely to be successful in their careers if they continue their studies beyond school level.

Bài Viết của IELTS General Training cũng bao gồm 2 phần Writing task 1 và Writing task 2 nhưng sự khác biệt nằm ở chỗ:

• Bài viết task 1: viết một lá thư (letter) dài ít nhất 150 từ, theo yêu cầu và gợi ý của đề bài.
• Bài viết task 2: Bài luận ít nhất 250 từ thể hiện ý kiến, quan điểm tương tự như IELTS Academic, nhưng topic cho Module này mang tính đời sống/xã hội hơn.

Ví dụ:

Phần 1:

Đây được coi là phần khởi động cho bài thi Speaking, bạn sẽ nhận được các câu hỏi tương đối dễ xoay quanh các chủ đề về cuộc sống của bạn, gia đình, bạn bè, công việc, học tập….

VD1:

Phần 2:

• Thí sinh được trao một mẩu giấy và cây bút và yêu cầu nói về một chủ đề cụ thể trong vòng tối đa 2 phút. Trước khi nói các bạn sẽ có 1 phút để chuẩn bị trước, sau đó giám khảo sẽ hỏi thêm 1 số câu hỏi về chủ đề này và kết thúc chuyển sang Part 3.

VD2:

Phần 3:

• Bạn sẽ được hỏi thêm một số câu hỏi có thể liên quan đến chủ đề phần 2 hoặc không? Bạn cần phải thảo luận nhiều hơn với giám khảo để có thể gây ấn tượng tốt.

VD3:

Để xem bạn cần đạt bao nhiêu điểm ở mỗi phần, bạn xem ở bảng này: