www.yasi-kouyu.com.cn

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Oct. 10, 2008

• The two pages, Examples of Language Functions Page 1 and Examples of Language Functions Page 2 were changed (improved).

Oct. 5, 2008

• Two new pages were added: Examples of Language Functions Page 1 and Examples of Language Functions Page 2.

• The layout of the page, Talking About the Future was greatly improved. (Finally!)

Oct. 4, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Read About IELTS Topics on the Internet,  Internet English Study and Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2.

Oct. 2, 2008

• The page, Cohesive Connecting Words and Phrases was changed.

Oct. 1, 2008

• The page 中文 was changed with the addition of information on how to translate English text or a whole page from this website (or any website).

• Several new internet links were added to the page, Read About IELTS Topics on the Internet. 

• The page, Read about the IELTS test on the internet was changed.

• A new page was created, Internet English Study. This page shows a few links to good internet sites for learning more English.

.Sept. 30, 2008

• The Part 2 topic usage information for the past two tests has been added. (Both tests were in a small number of places in China and so only a few topics were reported.)

• The same information about topic usage is now contained in four different files (the last one, .mdb in a zip file, is new):

2008 TOPIC USAGE(.doc)  MS Word.doc  Sometimes a slow download.

2008 TOPIC USAGE (.doc).zip Contains the above MS Word.doc 

2008 TOPIC USAGE(.mdb) A slower download  

2008 TOPIC USAGE (.mdb).zip Contains the mdb file

• The following pages were changed to reflect the addition of this new file: Topic Usage 2008,  Topic Usage History  and  Site Map.

• The page, Cohesive Connecting Words and Phrases was improved. This includes some Chinese translations of words or expressions and an improved description of the expression, 'on the contrary'

Sept. 27, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Complex Sentences  and  Avoiding Overly Formal Language. (In the Complex Sentences page, the item, The Difference between 'that' and 'which' was replaced with, Notes on the use of the relative pronouns ‘that’, ‘which’ and ‘who’ .)

Sept. 22, 2008

• A small number of additions or changes were made to each of the following pages: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,   Parts 2/3 Page 32,   Parts 2/3 Page 33,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 34. 

Sept. 16, 2008

• The following pages have been changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Part 2 Index Page 2,   Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,   Parts 2/3 Page 32,   Parts 2/3 Page 33,  Parts 2/3 Page 34  &  Parts 2/3 Page 35.

• The 'clothing' vocabulary words were updated on the page, Vocabulary Lists. 

• Question Notes for Part 1 had a few minor changes made to it.

• Three copies of the Part 2 Topic Usage history for 2008 were uploaded: 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.zip  &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb.

• PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.doc was updated and was compressed into the following zip file, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.zip.

• General IELTS Links had some links to BBC Leaning English added. 

Sept. 15, 2008  

• The following pages have been changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Part 2 Index Page 2,   Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1,   Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,  Parts 2/3 Page 33,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 34.

• Note that the wording for Topic 162 was changed.

• A new page was added: Parts 2/3 Page 35.

Sept. 11, 2008  

• These two pages were changed:  General IELTS Links  and  Good Links. The General IELTS Links page was updated with a link to a good site that shows videos of several people answering questions in IELTS Speaking tests. Go HERE to see that link.

Sept. 10, 2008  

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,   Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,   Question Notes for Part 1,   Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,   Parts 2/3 Page 30,  & Parts 2/3 Page 31.

Sept. 9, 2008  

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,   Part 2 Index Page 2,   Parts 2/3 Page 31  &  Parts 2/3 Page 34. 

Sept. 8, 2008 20:30

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Question Notes for Part 1,   Part 2 Index Page 2,   Parts 2/3 Page 33,  Parts 2/3 Page 34  &  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2.  

Sept. 8, 2008  

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Part 2 Index Page 2,   Parts 2/3 Page 33  &  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2.

• A New page was started:  Parts 2/3 Page 34.

Sept. 7, 2008  

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008,  Part 2 Index Page 2 & Parts 2/3 Page 33. 

• It seems that examiners did not use new Part 2 topics very much yesterday afternoon. But two new topics have been reported: # 164, 'Your favourite Season' and #165, 'Clothes'. No details on the 'clothes' topic are known yet.

• Many of the topics & questions I predicted for Part 1 on Sept. 5 are, in fact, being used. 

• So far, not much information has been written about any new Part 1 topics. But it seems one new Part 1 topic is 'News'. Possibly the Part 1 topic, 'Bicycles' has returned to the test.

• If you do the Speaking test today, try to write a detailed description of your test on 3gbbs.com or 51ielts.com or send me an email. Remember: There will almost certainly be several new Part 1 topics in use today and at least a few new Part 2/3 topics.

Sept. 6, 2008

• A new page, Part 1 Questions Sept - Dec 2008 was written. Note that the topics and questions written there are, at the moment, just predictions. 

• The Part 1 questions for May-August 2008 were placed in the archives at Previous Part 1 Questions. Any new questions and topics from that page have not yet been added to the page, All Part 1 Questions.

• The following pages were updated with links to the new page of Part 1 questions: Index to Website and Part 1.

Sept. 5, 2008  

• The page, General IELTS Links was updated with some information about a) internet sites for listening to the pronunciation of words, b) internet dictionary sites, c) internet translation sites and, d) some good sites for online listening and speaking practice.

• A few changes were made to the following pages: Parts 2/3 Page 26,   Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 31. 

• 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc was uploaded. (Previously I couldn't upload it.) It is better to download this page and then read it because it takes so long to open. Even downloading this page is slow. It's best to use the zip file version, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.zip. 

• The Explanation to the Part 2 Index page was rewritten. That page includes some useful information about how new topics are introduced into the test.

• The notes about the Part 2 topic, "An Interesting Animal" were rewritten on this page: Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1. 

Sept. 3, 2008  

• 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc was uploaded but it is contained within a zip file, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.zip.

• The following pages were also changed to reflect the addition of this new file:  Site Index,   How to Study for Part 2,   Part 2,   Topic Usage History,  and  Topic Usage 2008.

Sept. 2, 2008  

• The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Page 31,  Parts 2/3 Page 32,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1,   Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,   Good Links,  PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.doc was updated and was compressed into the following zip file, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.zip.,  &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb. 

• 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc was not successfully uploaded. 

Sept. 1, 2008 14:00

• Changes were made to the following pages:  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1,  Question Notes for Part 1,  My Subject - Some Common Errors,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30, Parts 2/3 Page 31,  Parts 2/3 Page 32  &  Parts 2/3 Page 33. 

Sept. 1, 2008

• A new Part 2 topic was added: Topic # 163, 'An Important Letter You Wrote'. This has been in use since May 10, 2008. It looks like Topic #105, 'An Important Letter You Received' was last used in April and is now retired.

• The following pages were changed: NOTES ABOUT CURRENT PART 2 TOPICS,  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Part 2 Index Page 2,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  Parts 2/3 Page 32  &  Parts 2/3 Page 33. 

Aug. 31, 2008  

• Pay attention to the information on this page about some Part 2 topics that are due for retirement: 'NOTES ABOUT CURRENT PART 2 TOPICS'.

• The page, The Part 2 Index page has now been split into two separate pages, Part 2 Index Page 1 and Part 2 Index Page 2. Page 2 is the one with the current Part 2 topics. 

• On all 33 of the Part 2 pages, the link, "RETURN TO PART 2 TOPIC INDEX" was changed. 

• A few extra questions were added and other changes were made to the following pages: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,   Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  Parts 2/3 Page 32  &  Parts 2/3 Page 33. 

• Topic #144 was renamed "A Physical Activity" (replacing, "A Sport or Physical Exercise") and Topic #111 was renamed, "A Polluted Place" (replacing, "An Environmental Problem").

Aug. 24, 2008

• The following pages were changed: General IELTS Links,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc  &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,   Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 33. 

• The list of the current Part 2 topics for printing, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.doc was updated and was compressed into the following zip file, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.zip.

• A new Part 2 topic was added: #162.  'Someone You Would like to Spend Time With' (Aug. 16, 2008)

• The following Part 2 topics were labeled as (Probably no longer used): Topic #101 'A Newspaper You Like to Read'; Topic #106  'Someone You Like to Spend Time With'; and Topic #112 'Travel to Somewhere in the World'.

• The page, 'NOTES ABOUT CURRENT PART 2 TOPICS' was updated with information about the topics that will probably be retired very soon.

Aug. 13, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 1, (on the animal topic),  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc  &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb,  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.
• A new page was started at Parts 2/3 Page 33.
• Topic #110, 'A Photograph (2)' was labeled as (Probably no longer used). but a similar topic was added to page 33, 'A Photograph (3)'

Aug. 12, 2008

• Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2  &  Parts 2/3 Page 31 were changed, especially for the 'Law' topic, Part 3.
• The Part 2 Index page and Parts 2/3 Page 21 were changed by labeling Topic #102, 'An Ideal Park' as (Probably no longer used).
• The two pages, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb. have been updated following the tests of August 9/10.

Aug. 10, 2008

• Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008 was changed, for the topic of 'Your Home". One of the changes was some notes for the question about what is on the walls of your home. These notes were added to Question Notes for Part 1. This is a key question in the test right now and it will probably stay in the test after September 6.

Aug. 9, 2008

• The following pages were changed with a few extra questions and other small changes: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32. Note that for Topic # 151, "Some Interesting News", an extra point was added ("what people were mentioned in this news report").
• Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2 and Question Notes for Part 1 had some items added.

Aug. 8, 2008

• The following pages were changed with a few extra questions and other small changes: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29, &  Parts 2/3 Page 30. Note that some parts of Topic # 134, "An Interesting Animal", were changed to past tense.

Aug. 7, 2008

• The following pages were changed with a few extra questions: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32. Note that the last line of the wording for Topic # 139 was changed.

Aug. 5, 2008

• The page Common Pronunciation Errors was updated with information about words related to 'economy' and words related to 'technology'.

July 30, 2008

• The two pages, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb. have been updated following the tests of July 24 & July 26.

•  The Part 2 Index page was updated by labeling Topics #103 (A Person Who Took Care of You in Your Childhood), #104 (A Person Who Likes to Help Others), and #109 (Success (2)) as (Probably no longer used).  Parts 2/3 Page 21  and  Parts 2/3 Page 22 were changed to reflect this labeling.

• Topic # 102 (An Ideal Park) is also possibly no longer in use because it has only been reported once in the last 6 tests, on July 26, and that mention was unclear, so it might have been the Garden topic, not the Park topic. Similarly, Topic # 101 (A Newspaper You Like to Read) has only been reported once in the last eight tests, on July 5. This might have been the Part 1 topic, not Part 2 or it might have been the Magazine topic. So, possibly this topic is also no longer in use.

• The list of the current Part 2 topics for printing, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.doc was updated and was compressed into the following zip file, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.zip.

• There are a few extra questions and minor changes that I have not yet added to the lists of questions but basically there have been no major changes from what is already listed on the website.

.July 26, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Part 1,  Past Part 1 Topic Index,  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008 (but no new questions were added) &  Study Plans.

• Parts 2/3 Page 31 and Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2 were changed for topic# 154, "Something You Would Like to Learn". I have tried to clarify this topic and my suggestions and explanations about the grammar.

• A new page was added: What Topics Should I Prepare For?  This is replacing a similar page, which still exists on this website, Which Topics Should You Prepare?
• The page, Notes About the Current Part 2 Topics was changed. On this page, I mentioned that topics 109, 110, 111 & 112 will probably be retired very soon.

July 16, 2008

• The following pages were changed:  The Part 2 Index page,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,   Parts 2/3 Page 22,   Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

• Note that a Part 2 topic, "A Recent Change (2)" was added as Topic #148 on Parts 2/3 Page 30.

• The page, Common Pronunciation Errors now has MP3 audio files added to it.

July 13, 2008

• The following pages were changed:  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

July 08, 2008  22:50

• The following pages had minor changes made to them: The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32. These changes included, a) changes to the wording of Topics #155, #138 and #139 and, b) Topic #159 (A Long Journey) is now classified as a confirmed topic.

July 08, 2008 

• The following pages were changed:  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,   Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Page 2,   Parts 2/3 Page 21,   Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

July 07, 2008 

• Following the test of July 5, the 2 Topic Usage pages were updated: 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb.

July 03, 2008 

• Following the test of June 28, the 2 Topic Usage pages were updated: 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc &  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb.

• Some Part 2/3 topics have now been classified as "Probably no longer used". The page, The Part 2 Index page has been changed to reflect these changes.

• Note that Topic # 92, "A Recent Change", is still being used.

• A new page called, "Notes About the Current Part 2 Topics" was added. These notes give information about what topics are currently being used now.

• The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,   Parts 2/3 Page 21 & Parts 2/3 Page 22. 

Jun. 26, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,   Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 28  &  Parts 2/3 Page 29.

Jun. 25, 2008 

• The wording for Part 2 topic #151, "Some Interesting News", on Parts 2/3 Page 31 was changed.

Jun. 21, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  The Part 2 Index page,   Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31 &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.
• A few new additions were made to the list at Avoiding Overly Formal Language and the page Reporting Verbs (related to the topic of formal language) was rewritten in a few places that were not clear or that had errors.

Jun. 18, 2008 

• The wording for Part 2 topic # 154, 'Something You Would Like to Learn" (Parts 2/3 Page 31) was changed a little. I think the words, "would like to" are probably not used after the words, "You should say". Instead it is probably just, "would". For example, "You should say ... what you would learn", not "... what you would like to learn". Note that these words are just my best guess - I might be wrong.

Jun. 16, 2008 

• Following the test of June 14/15, the two tables showing the topic usage were updated: 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb.  We see that all the topics from # 109 to #149 were used except that topic #110, 'A Photograph', was not reported as used. 

In addition, topic #92, 'A Recent Change' was reported about three times. This topic has been used quite a few times since May 10, leading me to believe it might have been changed in Part 3 and might stay in the test. If it is used again in the next test or two and if none of the other topics #82 to # 99 are reported as used, I will make, 'A Recent Change' a 'new' topic, called, 'A Recent Change (2)'

Topic #82, 'A New or Exciting Activity' was reported once but I suspect it was a mistake. (Probably it was a question about new or exciting activities in Part 3 for topic # 92.)

It seems that topic #150 to #150 were not used on June 14/15. (Possibly topic # 150, 'An Organization' was used.) But they might be used today, June 16. 小心！

• I have not had a good look at the questions used over the weekend but there aren't any new Part 2/3 topics and there don't seem to be many new questions for the known Part 3 topics. 

• There might be one or two 'new' Part 1 topics (actually, not new because they are listed in, All Part 1 Questions). Certainly, a few questions that are not yet on this page, Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008, but that are on this page, All Part 1 Questions, were reported this past weekend.

Jun. 12, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc,  2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb,   Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.
• Go HERE to see a link to a video of a real Speaking test. That page also has a link to my assessment of her score. (The test seems to be real but the video is shorter than a real test - Part 1 only has 2 topics and Part 3 is only 2.5 minutes long.)

Jun. 11, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

• Important Note: Topic # 154, "Something You Would Like to Learn" and Topic # 160, "A Gift", might be using the word, "would". This is important because if you answer these topics with unsuitable grammar, you will almost certainly lose the opportunity to get 6.5 or above for the Speaking test. Go to Topic #102, "An Ideal Park" to see what I mean. Return to this website often to see what changes are made to these topics and any suggestions I give for answering these topics. I have not yet finished reading all the bulletin board postings for the May 31 & June 5 so I might get a clearer idea of the real words in the next few days.

Jun. 10, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

Jun. 9, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: Good Links,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3 (on topic # 147),   Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

Jun. 8, 2008 

• Two new items were added to this page, General IELTS Link. One of the items is a link to a video of an IELTS Speaking test on the internet. You can also read my estimated score for this interview. The other link is to a website that has free, downloadable podcasts, for listening practice.

Jun. 7, 2008 

• A new page was written: How to Speak in Part 1.

• The following pages were updated or changed in some way: The Part 2 Index page,  Index to Website,   Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

• Note that the Part 2 Topic Usage will only be added to these pages from now on:  2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc and 2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb.

Jun. 5, 2008 

• The following pages were updated: Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008 and Question Notes Parts 2 & 3 (with some more notes on topic # 152, "A Good Law".

Jun. 4, 2008 

• I have not finished looking at the bulletin board postings for the test of May 31/Jun 1/Jun 2. But a few pages have been changed. Note that no extra Part 3 questions have been added yet. If you have your test on Jun. 5/6, (tomorrow and the day after), you will have to look at the bulletin board postings yourself for any new Part 3 questions from the last test. (There are a few new questions.) 

• The following pages were changed:  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  The Part 2 Index page,   Parts 2/3 Page 32,   2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc  and Topic Usage Page 23, for May 31 was added.

Jun. 1, 2008 

• After only a quick look at the topics & questions from yesterday afternoon, I changed topics 154 & 155 to confirmed topics. I also made some changes to the wording for those topics. In addition, I added another topic, 159.  A Long Journey  (May 10, 2008)  Not Confirmed as a Part 2 Topic, although I don't really think this is a new topic - I think "Long Journey" and "Tourist Attraction" are probably the same topic.
• The following pages were changed: The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32.

May 31, 2008 

• A new page called Avoiding Overly Formal Language was added to the website. Doesn't that make you feel sanguine?

May 30, 2008  

• The old 'BLOG' pages have been removed form the website but some of the previous contents of the 'Blog' pages have been kept, with new names.

• An Index to the website has now been added. This should make it much easier to find what you want to read on this website. Actually, not a large amount of new material was added to the website - most of this is simply a re-arrangement of the previous contents of the website.

• The following pages were either changed in some way or are new: Index to Website,  General,  General Advice,  Speaking Test Overviews,  Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Topic Usage History,  Getting a 7 for Speaking,  Improving Your Fluency,  Three Months to Go,  A Good Example of How to Do the Test, The Grading Criteria,  Improving Your Vocabulary,  Improving Your Grammar,  A Chinese IELTS Student in Holland,  Politeness & Attitudes in the Test,  A good Bulletin Board Posting,  & Communicating - The Key to How to Talk in the Test.

May 25, 2008  

• Following the test of May 22, the page,  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008 was updated.
• Any extra Part 3 questions have not been added yet. (There were no new Part 2 topics on May 22.)
• Topic Usage Page 19,  Topic Usage Page 20  were updated and Topic Usage Page 22, for May 22 was added.
• The Microsoft Access Page, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb was updated, as was the same information in the MS Word document, 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc. 
• The list of the current Part 2 topics for printout, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.doc was updated and was compressed into the following zip file, PART 2 TOPICS FOR PRINTING.zip. This list includes topics 92, 99 & 100, all of which seem to be continuing past the usual 12 month usage. (Other Part 2 topics might also be staying in the test, as well, but I don't yet know which ones.)

May 19, 2008  9 pm

• The following new page, on the topic of Comparing and Contrasting, were added: How to Compare Two things.

May 19, 2008  

• Parts 2/3 Page 31 was changed for topic 152, 'A good Law' and Question Notes Parts 2 & 3 was changed with notes for the topic of Law.
• Vocabulary Lists (Page 2) was changed with the additional of vocabulary for the topic of 'Law'.

May 18, 2008  

• Part 2 topics 154 & 155 were given the following status: NOT CONFIRMED AS A PART 2 TOPIC

May 17, 2008  

• The Part 1 topics and questions for January - April 2008 were added to the page, All Part 1 Questions.

May 15, 2008 (20:25)

• The following pages were changed by the addition of extra topics and questions following the May10/11 test: The Part 2 Index page,  Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 32 (new).
• The following page was also changed: Good Links.
• The topic usage for May 10/11 was recorded in a new page, Topic Usage Page 21.
• The page Topic Usage 2008 was updated, except for the test of April 19/20.
• Note that Part 2 topic # 100, "A Childhood Activity" has been renamed to, "A Childhood Game".

May 11, 2008

• Following the speaking tests held yesterday afternoon, 3 new Part 2/3 topics have been added. Please note that I haven't checked all the reports from yesterday - more topics and questions might have also been introduced into the test. The page, The Part 2 Index page, was changed and these new topics were added to Parts 2/3 Page 30 & Parts 2/3 Page 30.
• The page, Question Notes Parts 2 & 3  was also updated with a note for topic # 152.
• Also note that a few of the topics numbered 82 to 100 were used yesterday. See my note on this on The Part 2 Index page. 
• The page, Part 1 Questions for May to Aug 2008 was updated with a few new topics and questions.
• The wording for the animal topic on Parts 2/3 Page 27 was changed.

May 09, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,   Parts 2/3 Page 17,   Parts 2/3 Page 19,   Parts 2/3 Page 23,   Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,   Parts 2/3 Page 30  &  List of Part 3 Compare Questions, P.4 .

May 06, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Booklist (error corrected),  Part 1 Questions for Jan to Apr 2008,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3, Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 28  & Parts 2/3 Page 30.
• Some lists of 'compare questions' were added. These were: List of Part 1 Compare Questions,  List of Part 3 Compare Questions, P.1,  List of Part 3 Compare Questions, P.2,  List of Part 3 Compare Questions, P.3  & List of Part 3 Compare Questions, P.4.  These pages will be followed soon by a new page with detailed information about how to answer 'compare questions'.

May 01, 2008

• The page, Booklist was updated with the addition of an English-English dictionary and a Collocations dictionary.

April 27, 2008

• An email from a student, with my reply, was added to Blog Page 15 on the topic of getting a 7 in the Speaking test.
• The list of Part 2 questions for printing was changed to reflect the fact that probably topics 82 to 100 have been retired now. But be careful! Possibly a small number of topics 82 to 100 will stay in the test for a few weeks or months. This document and the zip file of this document are found at Download all the current Part 2 topics for printing (62 Kb) and The same document in a Zip File (only 14 Kb). At the moment, there are 39 topics in this document.
• The Part 2 Index page was changed to show that topics 82 to 100 have probably been retired now.
• The following pages were changed: Part 1 Questions for Jan to Apr 2008, Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  Question Notes for Part 1,  Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 28  &  Parts 2/3 Page 29.
• The page, Topic Usage P.18 was added, showing the topics reported as used on April 12/13.
• The page, Current Part 1 Questions, was rewritten to reflect the fact that we don't yet know what the current Part 1 questions are.
• The page, Part 1 Questions for Jan to Apr 2008 has been added to the Archived Part 1 Questions.
• Note that the new Part 1 topics and questions that came into the test on January 10, 2008 have not yet been added to the page, All Part 1 Questions. This will be done soon.

April 23, 2008

• The page, General IELTS Link was changed to no longer show a link to the Speaking test Band Descriptor. Now, only links to the Writing Test Band Descriptors are shown. 
• A new page, IELTS Speaking band descriptors (public version) was added to the website. The following pages were changed to show links to this page:  Grading Criteria,  Speaking Test Overviews, and Blog Page 15.
• Blog Page 15 was written. This page has some ideas about getting a Band 7 in the IELTS Speaking test.
• The Part 2 Index page was changed slightly, drawing attention to the useful notes written at Part 2 topic #107 on the topics of 'learning' and 'studying' and the difference between these two words.
• Small additions were made to the following pages: Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Page 18,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 20.
• The page, Yes/No Questions was 'tidied up' to make it easier to read, some extra information was added and it was split into two pages.

April 21, 2008

• The page, General IELTS Link was rewritten at those parts showing how to download the Speaking and Writing test band descriptors. Links to two Chinese IELTS Speaking teacher's blogs were also added to this page.

April 19, 2008

• The page, Common Pronunciation Errors was tidied up and two extra items were added: the pronunciation of "graduated" and the pronunciation of "industry".

April 17, 2008  

• The page, Improving Your Grammar was changed.

April 14, 2008  

• The page, Improving Your Grammar was improved. Linked to that page is a new page, Complex Sentences, which includes a small quiz on complex sentences.
• The page Three months to go, with suggestions on how to plan your preparation for the Speaking test was changed in a few substantial ways. 

April 11, 2008  11:15 PM

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  Good Internet Links,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25, Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29 & Parts 2/3 Page 30.

April 11, 2008  9:15 AM

• I have returned Topic # 145, 'An Interesting Film' to the list of topics. I took this topic off the lists about two weeks ago but now I think it really is a topic. As a result, The Part 2 Index page & Parts 2/3 Page 29 were changed.
• Other changed pages were: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24  & Parts 2/3 Page 28.
• Other page changed will be made this evening.

April 10, 2008

• Changes were made to the following pages: Vocabulary Lists,  Vocabulary Lists (Page 2),  Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 29, &  Parts 2/3 Page 30.

April 9, 2008

• Vocabulary Lists was changed with the addition of 'documentary films' as a type of film.
• Extra notes were added for the following 2 topics: #93 Something You Lost & #121 A Place for Shopping. This changed the pages, Parts 2/3 Page 25 & Question Notes.
• Current Part 1 questions & Part 1 Notes were changed with the addition of a note about tourist attractions in your hometown.
• Topic Usage P.17 was uploaded, showing the topic usage for the April 5/6 test. 2008 TOPIC USAGE.doc & 2008 TOPIC USAGE.mdb were also changed to show this test topic usage.

April 6, 2008

• The page, Parts 2 & 3 was changed.
• A record of past Part 2 topic usage for 2006, 2007 and 2008 was added, in the form of three tables.  These tables are in Microsoft Office documents (or MS Access files) and they can be downloaded by going to the following pages: 2006   2007   2008. These pages also gives some conclusions, based on an analysis of these tables. 
• Topic Usage P.16 was updated with the topics used for the test of March 28/29.
• The Part 2 Index page  &  Parts 2/3 Page 20 were changed. For topic #97, 'Your Future Work Plans', some people have reported that this is worded as, 'Your Ideal Job' and I have added that as Version C for this topic. Topic #100 has also been renamed as 'A Childhood Activity'. New notes were written for these changes on the page, Question Notes.

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Predictions for the May IELTS Speaking Tests

(For all of Mainland China)

Part 1

• May 10 is the date for the regular (every 4 months) change of Part 1 topics & questions. 
• In the period Sep. - Dec. 2007, there were about 25 different topic in use for Part 1. Some topics, such as 'Your Work/Studies' had different sets of questions, which were all grouped together under the one topic on this website. In other words, some candidates got the 'Work/Studies' topic, 'Set 1' while others got 'Set' 2 or 'Set 3'.
• In the period Jan. - Apr. 2008, the same situation existed, but the total number of different topics was about 33. 
• I predict that May - Aug. 2008 will have a total of at least 33 different topics but possibly the number will be increased to about 40 topics. Of these, probably about 5 will be topics (or sets of questions) that have not been seen in the last 2 years, i.e., 'new' topics. As well as that, some of the topics shown on the page, 'All Part 1 Questions' that are not being used right now will be returned. And many of the topics that are currently in use will continue to be used. Most likely, those Part 1 topics that were 'new' in January 2008 will continue to be used until the end of August.
• Expect to see some new Part 1 topics that seem similar to current Part 3 topics, just to confuse us. For example, 'Pets' might be a new Part 1 topic but a similar topic already exists in Part 3 of topic #134.

Parts 2/3

• For Parts 2/3, I predict there will be a large number of 'new' topics (i.e., not seen in the past 2 years). There are 19 topics that are due for 'retirement' (after 12 months of use) at the beginning of May and I think most, but not all of these will not be seen again for a while after the test of April 24. In other words, most but not all of topics numbered 82 to 100 will leave the test. That is, I think some of these 19 will continue to be used in order to help increase the total number of Part 2/3 topics in use to about 75, more than the current 60 Part 2/3 topics. 
• Very possibly, several of the topics numbered 1 to 81 on this website will come back. Some of these might be exactly the same as before but probably most of them will have a few different questions in Part 3 and some of them might have slightly different wording for Part 2.
• I predict that half of the 'new' Part 2/3 topics, about 12 topics, will be first seen on May 10/11 and the other half on May 22/23 and some might not be introduced until the test of May 31.
• Examiners seem to prefer to use new topics when these new topics are introduced into the test. So, if you do one of the first two tests in May, you probably have a 70% chance of getting one of these new topics. Of course, most of the topics numbered 101 to 149 will continue to be used during May, but not so often.

Overall

• Overall, if you are going to do the test in May, I suggest preparing for not just the current Part 1 topics but as many of the topics on the page, 'All Part 1 Questions'as possible. I also suggest you at least quickly read all the topics 1 to 81 on this website (and the accompanying Part 3 questions) and think about those topics mentioned in the page 'Possible Future Topics'.
• In order to help other candidates, if you do either of the tests on May 10/11 or May 22/23, I suggest you make an effort to contribute detailed information about your questions on 51ielts.com or 3gbbs.com.
• It is also possible that some of these new Part 1 & Part 2/3 topics will be first introduced in the tests of April 19 or April 24.

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April 3, 2008

• The following pages were added to the website: Topic Usage 2008,  Topic Usage P.13,   Topic Usage P.14,   Topic Usage P.15, &  Topic Usage P.16.

April 2, 2008

• I believe the following topics do not exist (at the moment) and they have now been completely eliminated: 113 A Product Related to Your Job, 124 An Invention, 126 A Historical Place, 132 A Treasured Possession, 135 A Historical Character, 137 A Book, 143 A Famous Saying, 148 An Enjoyable Activity, 150 A Museum, and 151 A Hotel. The places where these topics used to exist on this website, have now been replaced with the words, 'No Topic'.
• To reflect these changes, the following pages were changed: The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30,  Parts 2/3 Page 31,  Question Notes,  Topic Usage P.8,  Topic Usage P.9,  Topic Usage P.10,  Topic Usage P.11,  &  Topic Usage P.12.

April 1, 2008

• Most of those Part 2 topics on Pages 23 to 31 that were labeled as NOT CONFIRMED AS A PART 2 TOPIC have now been labeled as Probably not a Part 2 topic. Any Part 3 questions that existed for these topics have been moved to the most probable real topic. (In a day or two, after I have had a closer look at the bulletin boards for the test of March 29/30, I will probably eliminate those Part 2 topics altogether from the website. That is, I will rearrange & renumber some Part 2 topics.) The following pages were changed to reflect these changes: The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  Parts 2/3 Page 30, &  Parts 2/3 Page 31.

March 30, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  &  Parts 2/3 Page 20.
• The following pages were added: Topic Usage P.8,  Topic Usage P.9,  Topic Usage P.10,  Topic Usage P.11,  &  Topic Usage P.12.

March 29, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  & Parts 2/3 Page 30.

March 24, 2008

• A new page, "How to Study for Part 2" was written. Included on this page are all the Part 2 topics from # 82 to #151 in a Microsoft Word document, for easy printing.
• Topic # 124, An Invention, was changed to NOT CONFIRMED AS A PART 2 TOPIC. This is probably Topic #149 Electrical Equipment (2). The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 25 & Parts 2/3 Page 30 were changed to reflect this change.
• Minor changes were also made to Parts 2/3 Page 21, Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29,  & Parts 2/3 Page 30.
• The page, Possible Future Topics was changed and some comments added about when new topics are most likely to appear.

March 19, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  The Part 2 Index page,  Vocabulary Lists (Page 2),  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29  &  Parts 2/3 Page 31.

March 18, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 29 & Parts 2/3 Page 30.

March 17, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions,  Question Notes,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24, Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29 & Parts 2/3 Page 30.
• A new page called, "General IELTS Links" was added to the website.
• The page, "Band Score Converter" was slightly changed.

February 29, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Part 1 questions,  Question Notes Parts 2 & 3,  Question Notes for Part 1, The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 17,  Parts 2/3 Page 18,  Parts 2/3 Page 19,  Parts 2/3 Page 20,  Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 22,  Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 24, Parts 2/3 Page 25, Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Parts 2/3 Page 28,  Parts 2/3 Page 29 & Parts 2/3 Page 30.

February 27, 2008

• The following pages were changed: Good Internet Links,  Question Notes,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 23,  Parts 2/3 Page 24,  Parts 2/3 Page 25,  Parts 2/3 Page 26,  Parts 2/3 Page 27 &  Parts 2/3 Page 28.
• A new page, Parts 2/3 Page 31 was started.

February 25, 2008

• Good Internet Links was changed.

February 24, 2008

• Parts 2/3 Page 27 and Vocabulary Lists (2) were changed.

February 23, 2008

• Changes were made to the following pages: Current Part 1 questions,  The Part 2 Index page,  Parts 2/3 Page 13,   Parts 2/3 Page 18,   Parts 2/3 Page 21,  Parts 2/3 Page 28  & Parts 2/3 Page 30.
• A new page was started, called, "Question Notes". Instead of writing long notes for some questions on the question page, this new page will contain the notes. 
• The page, 'What to Prepare' was changed a little.

February 22, 2008 

• The Part 2 Index page  and  Parts 2/3 Page 30  were changed (The wording of Topic #147 was changed.)
• Blog Page 12 was changed, yet again, by the addition of a few comments on the suitability of humor and a little light-heartedness in the test.

February 21, 2008 

• Blog Page 12, on the topic of politeness and attitudes in the test, was 'tidied up' in places and the section concerning what to say after the test was substantially rewritten..

February 20, 2008 

• The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Page 21,   Parts 2/3 Page 27,  Vocabulary Lists,  Good Internet Links,  &  Improving Your Vocabulary.
• The following new pages were written: Phrasal Verbs, & Vocabulary Lists (2)