YASI-KOUYU SITE CHANGES (Page 1)
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December 30, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Topic Usage, Page 6 , 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.
NOTE ABOUT NEW TOPICS IN THE NEAR FUTURE: There will be several new Part 2 topics in January, 2008. The best preparation you can do is: a) use the "Three Minute Training Exercise" method to prepare for any unknown Part 2 topic and, b) prepare the possible future topics that are listed on this page. Of course, almost all the current Part 2 topics will also continue to be used so you should also prepare for them. Some of these 'new' topics might be not completely new at all but might be old topics that are returning to the test.
In addition, there will probably be about 5 completely new Part 1 topics introduced at the first test in January. If you are going to do the test in January, your best strategy is to prepare ALL of the Part 1 topics listed in All Part 1 Questions because, almost certainly, some of those old topics that are not being used right now will return, in addition to any completely new topics. For example, 'Collecting', 'Dance', 'Rain' and 'Birds' might come back. Some of the current Part 1 topics will continue to be used for the period January to April, 2008, but not all of them. The following topics will possibly continue to be used in January because they are relatively new to the test: 'Telephones', 'Newspapers', 'Housework', 'Transportation' and 'Computers'.
December 17, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 22, Parts 2/3 Page 23 & Parts 2/3 Page 25.
I still have not added any new questions from the test of December 15/16.
The page for the Topic Usage has not been updated for the last 3 tests but almost all possible topics were reported as used for those tests, as has been the case for all the recent tests . No new topics were reported. This page will be updated as soon as I find the time.
December 11, 2007 (11:20 pm)
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Page 7, 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.
The page for the Topic Usage has not been updated for the last 2 tests but almost all possible topics were reported as used for those tests, as has been the case for all the recent tests . This page will be updated soon.
December 3, 2007
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page & Parts 2/3 Page 13 were changed to reflect the fact that Topic # 63, "An Occasion When You Were Late" is still definitely in use. This topic almost certainly has a different set of Part 3 questions now and so it is now called Topic # 131, "An Occasion When You Were Late (2)", on the new page, Parts 2/3 Page 27 .
November 30, 2007 (11:15 pm)
The following pages were changed: All Part 1 Questions, Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, 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
The vocabulary lists that exist on this (old) page were added to Vocabulary Lists. The old page still exists and was also changed.
NOTE ABOUT NEW TOPICS IN THE NEAR FUTURE: There will be several new Part 2 topics in January, 2008 and these might even start to appear in December. The best preparation you can do is: a) use the "Three Minute Training Exercise" method to prepare for any unknown Part 2 topic and, b) prepare the possible future topics that are listed on this page. Of course, almost all the current Part 2 topics will also continue to be used so you should also prepare for them. Some of these 'new' topics might be not completely new at all but might be old topics that are returning to the test.
In addition, there will probably be about 5 completely new Part 1 topics introduced at the first test in January. Unlike the Part 2 topics, Part 1 is unlikely to change until January (new Part 2 topics possibly will start to appear in December). If you are going to do the test in January, your best strategy is to prepare ALL of the Part 1 topics listed in All Part 1 Questions because, almost certainly, some of those old topics that are not being used right now will return, in addition to any completely new topics. For example, 'Collecting', 'Dance', 'Rain' and 'Birds' might come back. Some of the current Part 1 topics will continue to be used for the period January to April, 2008, but not all of them. The following topics will possibly continue to be used in January because they are relatively new to the test: 'Telephones', 'Newspapers', 'Housework', 'Transportation' and 'Computers'.
November 29, 2007
The following pages were changed: All Part 1 Questions, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 24 & Parts 2/3 Page 26
November 28, 2007
The following two pages had minor changes made to them: 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS & Contractions (the Chinese, '助动词' was corrected on both pages).
A broken link was fixed on this page: The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade
A new page, Topic Usage, Page 6 was written.
Parts 2/3 Page 25 was also changed (for the topic of 'Invention').
November 20, 2007
Following the test of November 10/11, the following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 25, Parts 2/3 Page 26 & Topic Usage, Page 5. More changes will be made in a few days.
Note that Topic # 59, Some Advice You Received seems to be still in use, but with slightly different Part 3 questions. This has now been given a new topic number, # 130. In addition, Topic # 63, An Occasion When You Were Late is still being used and this probably also has a new set of Part 3 questions but, so far, there is no information on these new questions.
November 11, 2007
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page & Parts 2/3 Page 26 were changed.
November 6, 2007
I have not yet finished checking all the information on the Nov. 3 test but, in the interim, the following pages have been changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 15, Parts 2/3 Page 16, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 25, Parts 2/3 Page 26 & Topic Usage, Page 5. The Topic Usage information for the Nov. 3/4 test is incomplete but will be completed in a few days.
NOTE: a) Topic # 59, Some Advice You Received is still being used even though it first appeared 13.5 months ago. It is possible that, since Oct. 13, a new set of Part 3 questions is now being used for this topic. Any new part 3 questions for Topic #59 from after Oct. 13 are being written in a separate section under the original topic. b) In addition, Topic # 63, An Occasion When You Were Late has now been in use for more than 14 months. It is unusual for a topic to be used continuously for more than 13 months. Possibly new Part 3 questions are being used for this topic, as well.
Two new possible topics (128 & 129) have been added for Part 2 but it is also possible that these are not, in fact, new topics.
November 3, 2007
The following pages had minor changes made to them: All Part 1 Questions, Current Part 1 questions, 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS, Parts 2/3 Page 21 & Parts 2/3 Page 22.
October 29, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Vocabulary Lists (words for housework added), Parts 2/3 Page 12, 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.
All Part 1 Questions & Current Part 1 questions were also changed with the addition of a question about holidays for the 'Studies/Work' topic. (Other minor changes were also made to the page, All Part 1 Questions.)
October 23, 2007
The page, Topic Usage, Page 5 was updated following the tests of October 13 & October 20. Two possible new Part 2 topics were added - these are only classified as 'possible topics' because they were only each reported by one person.
No new Part 1 topics were reported but a few extra Part 1 questions were added to All Part 1 Questions. These extra questions were not added to the page, Current Part 1 Questions.
Note that not all of the information that was reported after these two tests has been added to the website. More questions will be added in a few days.
The following pages were also changed: Topic Usage, Page 3, Topic Usage, Page 4, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 15, 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 25 & Parts 2/3 Page 26.
Note that the wording of Topic #83, "An Interesting Old Person" has been significantly changed.
October 8, 2007
The following pages were changed: YES/NO' QUESTIONS, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, All Part 1 Questions, Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 21 & Parts 2/3 Page 23.
Note that the item called, "Possible Future Topics" contains rumor from the internet - not predictions.
22:15 September 30, 2007
Topic Usage Page 4 and Topic Usage Page 5 were written.
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, and Parts 2/3 Page 22 were changed.
September 28, 2007
The following pages have been changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, All Part 1 Questions, Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 18, 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.
September 20, 2007
A new page was started, showing some recommended internet sites. There are several other good sites that I will add soon. Good Internet links.
22:45 September 17, 2007
On this page, Contractions, 助动词 was replaced by 帮动词.
September 17, 2007
The page, Adverbs was changed with the addition of, B5: Adverbs of Certainty
The page, Vocabulary Lists was changed with the addition of a few extra words under the topic of 'Environment'.
22:00, September 16, 2007
This page, IELTS Writing Test Page 2 was improved in a couple of places. Good writing is (sometimes) hard to do!
September 16, 2007
I'm ashamed of the careless and sloppy job I did for Page 2 of the new Writing Blog. (I should read an answer fully before I write a comment on it!) That page was rewritten: IELTS Writing Test Page 2.
September 15, 2007
A new section of this website has been started, dealing with the IELTS Writing Test.
September 14, 2007
A new page called 中文 was added.
Just a reminder that the Part 2 topic usage has been very broad (= almost all topics are being used) & random since the 'Topic Usage' page was last updated. In other words, almost all the listed current Part 2 topics have been used recently. The topic usage page will be updated soon.
Hint: If you are from Beijing, learn how to talk about 四合院.
Some vocabulary related to the environment was added to this page.
Parts 2/3 Page 22 & Parts 2/3 Page 23 was changed.
September 12, 2007
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 21 & Parts 2/3 Page 25 were changed.
21: 40 September 11, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 22, Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 24 & Parts 2/3 Page 25
September 10, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page & Parts 2/3 Page 23 .
Some of the questions on this page, All Part 1 Questions, were tidied up.
The introduction page for the Part 2 Topic Index was changed.
This past test weekend has not revealed any new Part 2 topics. A few extra Part 3 questions were seen, not all of which have yet been added to this site. Part 1 shows as I expected - a random choice of topics from this page: All Part 1 Questions .
September 9, 2007
IMPORTANT Several topics on this page, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page were labeled as "POSSIBLY NO LONGER USED". This is because these topics have not been mentioned on the internet bulletin boards in China for a long time. But some of them still might be in use, just rarely reported!
These pages: Three months to go, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 22, Parts 2/3 Page 23 & Parts 2/3 Page 25 were changed.
September 8, 2007
The following pages were changed: All Part 1 Questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, 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.
Just a reminder that the Part 2 topic usage has been very broad & random since the 'Topic Usage' page was last updated. In other words, almost all the listed current Part 2 topics have been used. The topic usage page will be updated soon.
September 6, 2007
A new page called "All Part 1 Questions" was added. This page has all the collected past (to January 2006) & current Part 1 topics and questions. To be safe, it would be better to study this page than this page: Current Part 1 questions.
The page, "What to Prepare" was changed.
September 4, 2007
More or less all the information from the Sept. 1 test has been added to the website now but I am still checking information from the August 25 & August 18 tests.
The following pages were changed: Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 10, Parts 2/3 Page 13, 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.
Most of those pages have the date, 'Sept. 3', not Sept. 4 because I changed them on the evening of Sept. 3.
We see now that many questions are repeated (duplicated) under several different Part 2/3 topics and several different sets of Part 1 questions. In the near future, I plan to gather all these questions together under topics, regardless of whether they are Part 1 or Part 3 and regardless of what particular Part 2 topic they are connected with. The current system of Part 1 & Part 2/3 topic lists will continue, in parallel with these new lists of topics & questions.
15:00, September 3, 2007
Parts 2/3 Page 23 was changed.
Early morning, September 3, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 15, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 21, Parts 2/3 Page 22, May -August 2007 Part 1 Questions & Part 1 Archives Opening Page
22:45, September 2, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Current Part 1 questions, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 24 & Parts 2/3 Page 25.
2:30 PM, September 2, 2007
It seems that several of the topics predicted on the page Possible Future Topics have arrived this weekend. It might be a good idea for you to think about some of the other possible topics on that page.
The following pages were changed: Possible Future Topics, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 23, Parts 2/3 Page 24, Current Part 1 questions.
The following page was created: Parts 2/3 Page 25
Early morning, September 2, 2007
The following pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 23 & Current Part 1 questions.
The following page was created: Parts 2/3 Page 24
10:30 pm, September 1, 2007
Current Part 1 questions were changed.
10 pm, September 1, 2007
Some information has been added to the new set of Part 1 questions. Go HERE.
Some new Part 2 topics have been added. See here: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page
Parts 2/3 Page 17 & Parts 2/3 Page 19 were changed.
September 1, 2007
The following pages were changed: 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
The page 'Topic Usage' has not been updated for a while. Readers of this website should not be too concerned about this. Many topics are now used in each test - it seems very random. I will update that page soon but the information is not crucial for your preparation. However, it is interesting that some topics that were introduced in January 2007 have not been reported as used for a long time.
August 31, 2007
The following pages have been updated: Part 1 topics and questions, May - August 2007, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 13, 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
Note that Topic# 99, A Film, was drastically changed.
A new Part 2 topic, 'A Product Related to Your Job' was added as topic #113. This topic is especially important for people who are working.
August 29, 2007
I am slowly progressing through the internet postings for the past few tests. The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, May - August 2007, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Topic Usage Page 3, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, & Parts 2/3 Page 23
August 27, 2007
Blog Page 9 was extended with another similar email that I received and my reply to that email.
Parts 2/3 Page 23 was changed.
August 27, 2007
A new 'Current Part 1' page was added and the previous Part 1 page was placed in the archives.
A few extra Part 3 questions were added but I am behind schedule on my analysis of the post-exam internet postings - I have not really started looking at the past 3 tests. I should be up-to-date in a week or so. The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, May - August 2007, Parts 2/3 Page 10, Parts 2/3 Page 13, 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
August 26, 2007
Blog Page 9 was added, explaining why this website has not been updated for a few weeks.
A suggested 3-month study plan for preparing for the Speaking test was written at this page: Three months to go.
August 8, 2007
The following page was changed: WHAT TO PREPARE.
August 5, 2007
The following pages were changed (improved): 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS' & Your Studies, Page 1.
August 1, 2007
A link to google.com was added here to enable users to search this site.
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 7, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 22, & Parts 2/3 Page 23.
Topic Usage Page 3 was updated with the topic usage for the July 21/22 test but more topics might be added later because all the information for the July 21/22 test has not been completely analyzed yet.
July 30, 2007
Changes were made to the following pages: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 21, & Parts 2/3 Page 22.
Blog Page 7 was changed a little and Blog Page 8 was added.
I have not yet finished adding new questions following the test of July 21/22.
July 28, 2007
Topic Usage Page 3 was updated with the topic usage for the July 14/15 test. (Updating for the July 21/22 test has not yet been done.)
July 23, 2007
Changes were made to the following pages: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 7, Parts 2/3 Page 15, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, & Parts 2/3 Page 22.
July 22, 2007
Changes were made to the following page: Part 1 topics and questions. More changes to this page will be made soon.
No extra information from Saturday afternoon's test has been added yet.
July 16, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 17,
IMPORTANT This afternoon, several people reported Part 1 topics and questions that were used in China from September to December, 2006. These can be found HERE. In fact, in addition to the current Part 1 questions, it would be a good idea to prepare for ALL the previously used Part 1 questions from January 2006 until April 2007. The whole collection of archived Part 1 questions can be found HERE.
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 21, & Parts 2/3 Page 22
Blog Page 7 was written - concerning the current large number of questions.
July 14, 2007 (Morning)
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Topic Usage Page 3, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 15, 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,
July 10, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Topic Usage Page 3, 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
Updating following the test of July 7/8 has not yet been completed.
July 9, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Topic Usage Page 3, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 15, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 21, & Parts 2/3 Page 22
Updating following the test of July 7/8 has not yet been completed.
July 8, 2007(Evening)
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Topic Usage Page 3, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 21, Parts 2/3 Page 23
July 8, 2007(Afternoon)
It is possible that from now on, different testing centres in China will be using different Part 2 topics. See Blog Page 6. This change was also written into this page: WHAT TO PREPARE.
Extra questions added for topic # 110, Page 22.
July 8, 2007(morning)
The Part 2 topics that were reported for the test of Saturday, July 7 were added to Topic Usage Page 3. (Topics used on July 8 will be added later.)
It is notable that 23 different topics were reported as used on July 7. This seems to indicate that the different testing regions in China are choosing their own sets of topic cards to put into the examiners' packs. Previously, it seemed that all the testing regions in China were using the same sets of topic cards. It is even possible that each individual examiner has a random set of topics.
It seems that new Part 2 topics are no longer being introduced (for the time being). For the June 16/17 test, only one new Part 2 topic was reported and yesterday (July 7) another one, A Photograph, was also reported but possibly this was introduced into the test on June 16/17 and not previously reported.
The following pages were also changed: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 22, Possible Future Topics & Part 1 topics and questions.
July 5, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 22
July 4, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 10, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Parts 2/3 Page 22
Topic Usage Page 3 was updated to include the topic usage from the June 16/17 test.
June 23, 2007
The notes for Topic #102 (An Ideal Park) were changed. Previously the notes advised against using 'should' but this advice has been modified - using 'would' is best but using 'should' a few times is ok.
June 19, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 20, & Groups of Part 2 topics by Verb Form
June 18, 2007
The following pages were changed: Part 1 topics and questions, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 19, & Parts 2/3 Page 22
June 17, 2007
The page Groups of Part 2 topics by Verb Form was updated with the most recent topics. In addition the grammatical explanations were rewritten in many places. This is an important page for your understanding of the grammar that you should use in Part 2.
In the Part 1 topics and questions, the topic of 'Drawing' was changed to 'Drawing (or painting)'
Part 2 Topic #95 (Parts 2/3 Page 19) was changed from 'Unfavourable Weather' to 'Your Favourite Weather'.
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page & Groups of Part 2 topics by Verb Form were changed to reflect the Topic #95 change.
June 16, 2007
The page Part 1 topics and questions was changed at the question, "If you had the opportunity, what musical instrument would you learn?" This change was linked to the page Groups of Part 2 topics by Verb Form, which was changed at this point.
Parts 2/3 Page 22 was changed with notes written for Topic #107.
The broken link was fixed for the mp3 recording on this page, a self-test for your accuracy on word stress.
The page, IMPROVING_YOUR_VOCABULARY was changed at this point with the suggestion to use Headway or New Interchange or similar imported books.
June 15, 2007
The topic of 'Shopping" was added to the Part 1 topics and questions.
The following Part 2/3 pages were changed: Parts 2/3 Topic 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 22 was added.
Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page was changed so the introduction information is on a separate page.
Topic Usage Page 3 was updated to include the topic usage from the June 9/10 test.
June 12, 2007
Following the June 9/10 test, the Part 1 topics and questions were changed in several places.
Changes were also made to the following pages: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 1, Parts 2/3 Page 2, Parts 2/3 Page 4, Parts 2/3 Page 5 , Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, & Parts 2/3 Page 21.
Further Part 2/3 changes will be added in a day or two.
June 9, 2007
Topic #61 was classified as "Probably Not a Part 2 Topic".
Topic #102, "A Perfect Park" was renamed as "An Ideal Park" (Page 21).
Notes were added for Topic #102, An Ideal Park.
The following pages were changed a little: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 2, Parts 2/3 Page 13, Parts 2/3 Page 20 , Parts 2/3 Page 21 , & Topic Usage Page 3.
June 7, 2007
Changes were made to the following pages: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, & Parts 2/3 Page 21
A new page with some possible future Part 2 topics was added HERE.
June 5, 2007
After the June 2/3 test, the following pages were changed or created: Part 1 Questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 17, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 21 & Topic Usage Page 3.
May 31, 2007
A few extra notes were added to this page: WHAT TO PREPARE.
May 30, 2007
A page explaining which topics and questions you should prepare for was written here.
The following Part 2/3 changes were changed in small ways: Parts 2/3 Page 7, Parts 2/3 Page 18, & Parts 2/3 Page 19.
May 26, 2007
Following the test of May 19-21, the following pages were updated or created: Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26, Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page, Parts 2/3 Page 10, Parts 2/3 Page 18, Parts 2/3 Page 19, Parts 2/3 Page 20, Topic Usage Page 2.
May 23, 2007
Following the test of May 19-21, the Part 1 topics and questions were changed in several places. (Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26.)
A few new Part 2 topics were reported for this past weekend's test. These will be added to the website soon.
In addition to some new topics, it seems that some of the previously retired Part 2 topics are possibly being used again or possibly they are new topics that are very similar to previously used topics.
May 17, 2007
The new Part 1 topics and questions were changed in several places. (Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26.)
Seven new Part 2/3 topics were added. See Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page.
The topic Usage page was updated. See Topic Usage Page 2.
There are a few extra questions for Topics 32, 49, 60 & 65 but these have not been added yet.
May 16, 2007
The new Part 1 topics and questions were changed a bit. (Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26.)
May 14, 2007
Following the test of May 12/13, some topics and questions were added to this page Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26.
However, possibly more than one set of Part 1 questions was used in China on May 12/13. (This has happened before, in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen etc.) That is why 13 possible topics are listed here. The fact that most people reported Topic #2, 'Your Home' but some reported Topic #12, 'Your Hometown' is also suggestive that more than one set of Part 1 questions was used on May 12/13.
I will further do some further checking and possibly make a few changes to the Part 1 questions tomorrow.
I haven't finished checking all the internet bulletin boards but it looks like 5 new Part 2/3 topics were added to the pool of topics on May 12/13. These are: A New or Exciting Activity, An Interesting Old Person, A Place for Swimming, A Gift and A Famous Person. These topics, and the Part 3 questions, will be added to this website tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
May 4, 2007
A page of vocabulary lists was added to the website.
May 1, 2007
Topic Usage Page 2 was updated following the test of April 28 & 29.
Parts 2/3 Page 7 was changed - the wording for the second example of 'A Trip' was changed.
April 30, 2007
No new Part 2/3 topics were introduced into the test on April 28/29. (I predict these will start coming on May 12, 2007 and will continue for several weeks, with about 3 new topics introduced on every test weekend.)
The Part 1 questions for January - April, 2007 have been placed into the Archived Part 1 Questions.
A new page for the Part 1 questions, May 12/13 to August 25/26 has been started. But, except for the usual initial Student/Work questions, no questions have been written on that page yet.
The following Part 2/3
topics have now been classified as Probably
no longer used:
#2
An Important Decision; #4
A Busy Time; #5
Receiving A Large Sum Of Money
The following pages have been changed to reflect these Part 2/3 changes: Parts 2/3 Topic Index Page; Parts 2/3 Page 1, Parts 2/3 Page 2, Parts 2/3 Page 3, Parts 2/3 Page 4, Parts 2/3 Page 5, Parts 2/3 Page 6, Parts 2/3 Page 7, Parts 2/3 Page 8, & Parts 2/3 Page 9.
April 28, 2007
For the April 14/15 test, the 'Often Used'
topics were labeled on Topic
Usage Page 2. Surprisingly, we see that topic # 71
Modern Building
The following Part 2/3 pages were updated with extra questions from the April 14/15 & April 21/22 tests: Parts 2/3 Page 2, Parts 2/3 Page 6, Parts 2/3 Page 7, Parts 2/3 Page 10, Parts 2/3 Page 11, Parts 2/3 Page 12, Parts 2/3 Page 14, Parts 2/3 Page 15, Parts 2/3 Page 16
April 27, 2007
Finished updating Topic Usage Page 2 from April 21/22 test.
A few extra Part 3 questions from April 14/15 & April 21/22 still have not yet been added. However, the most frequently used questions are already listed.
April 26, 2007
An email & my answer concerning the test of April 28/29 was written for Blog Page 5.
April 25, 2007
This page, The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade, was changed in a few minor ways under the headings of 'Fluency' and 'Coherence'.
April 24, 2007
An email & my answer concerning the test of May 12 was written for Blog Page 4.
The Introduction to the Part 2/3 topic index page was changed a little. This gives you, in a clearer way, information about new Part 2 topics.
April 23, 2007
All of the Part 2/3 pages were changed. Dates were written after each topic title (see the Part 2/3 topic index page for an explanation) and a few extra notes were written for some topics.
No new topics were introduced at the test of April 21& 22, 2007.
Topic Usage Page 2 was updated for April 21 but not yet for April 22 (& 23 in some cities).
There were a few extra questions found in the tests of April 14 & April 21 but these questions have not been added to the relevant pages yet.
The page The_Introduction_Phase was changed in a few minor ways.
April 20, 2007
Following the test of April 14, Topic Usage Page 2 was updated. (No new topics). A few extra questions for these topics will be added soon.
In the Part 1 questions, the question, "Is taking part in outdoor activities important to you?" was added.
I noticed that topic #4 Busy Time was used in Australia on April 14. This is an example of why I decided to be cautious and not classify some topics as Probably no longer used until after the test of April 28. (See yesterday's entry on this page.)
Topic #44 A Person You Visited is classified as (Still possible for April 21, 28 2007)
April 19, 2007
IMPORTANT CORRECTION!
I believe I was too quick to classify the topics on April 16 & 17 as Probably no longer used. After further thought, I think there is still a small possibility that one or more of these topics will be used on April 21 and April 28. However, after those dates, I think these topics can be confidently classified as Probably no longer used.
Therefore, the follow pages have been changed to include this notice, (Still possible for April 21, 28 2007) for those topics:
Part 2/3 topic index page, Parts 2/3 Page 1, Parts 2/3 Page 2, Parts 2/3 Page 3 , Parts 2/3 Page 4, Parts 2/3 Page 6, & Parts 2/3 Page 8 .
In addition, topic #6 A Film is still a possible topic for the next few months.
******************************************************************
April 17, 2007
The following topics
were classified as Probably
no longer used:
#13 A Building In Your Hometown
April 16, 2007
The following topics
were classified as Probably
no longer used:
#2 Decision, #4 Busy Time, #5 Large Sum of Money, #6 Film, #8 Friend, #9 Unhappy
Shopping Experience, #14 Book
You Enjoyed Reading
Note that although these specific topic cards are probably no longer used, similar topics will possibly be introduced soon, especially for the topics of Friend, and Film because the IELTS Speaking test nearly always has these topics in the pool of Part 2 topics. Also, a topic with the same grammar as topic #5 (i.e., "What would you do if ...?" ) will possibly be introduced soon.
If you are going to do the test in May, June or July, expect new Part 2 topics. You will have a 50% chance of being given a new topic if new topics are introduced on your test weekend. Therefore, you should train yourself to be good at brainstorming in 1 minute - see my blog article about this way of preparing for Part 2.
Possibly new topics will start to be introduced in the April 21 & 28 tests but I think new topics will definitely start to come in May.
April 12, 2007
A few extra notes were added for topics #71 & #73 on this Part 2/3 page: Page 15
April 5, 2007
The following Part 2/3 pages were changed, following the test of March 31/April 1: Page 5, Page 9, Page 11, Page 13, Page 14, Page 15, Page 16 & Page 17.
April 4, 2007
A few small changes were made to the Part 1 questions.
The test of March 31/April 1 had no new Part2 topics. Some extra Part 3 questions and minor changes to the known Part 2 topics will be uploaded tomorrow.
I suspect that new Part 2 topics will not appear until the test of May 12.
April 1, 2007
In the Part
1 questions, the question, "How
long is your average bicycle trip?" was changed to, "How long have
you ridden a bicycle?"
March 31, 2007
Topic #23 was eliminated.
Topic #62 was changed from "Probably not a Part 2 topic" to "Rarely used". A link to a bulletin board posting was included in the notes for this topic. See Page 13.
The last question for the topic 'Your Studies' in Part 1 was changed.
March 30, 2007
Topics #22 & #38 were eliminated - probably no longer used.
March 28, 2007
After looking at the Speaking tests going back to July 2006, I think I can safely say that the following topics are no longer used: #10, #11, #26, #30, # 37 and # 42. These have been labeled as Probably no longer used on the Part 2/3 topic index page.
More topics will probably be eliminated as I continue checking the Speaking tests for the first half of 2006 and back into the last few tests of 2005.
The following note was added to the Part 2/3 topic index page: "Those topics that are labeled as Probably no longer used could be omitted from your study as Part 2 topics but the related Part 3 questions should still be studied (or at least looked at) because:
Old Part 3 questions often reappear with (slightly) different new Part 2 topics and,
Examiners remember old Part 3 questions and sometimes include them as part of a 'discussion' with candidates in other (new) Part 2/3 topics."
March 12, 2007
No new topics reported for the test of March 10, 11. (This test will be continued today.)
The following pages were slightly changed or added to: Current Part 1 Questions , Parts 2/3 Index , Topic Usage Page 2 , Parts 2/3 Page 3 , Parts 2/3 Page 6 , Parts 2/3 Page 7 , Parts 2/3 Page 9 , Parts 2/3 Page 12 , Parts 2/3 Page 13 , Parts 2/3 Page 14 , Parts 2/3 Page 15 , Parts 2/3 Page 16
March 10, 2007
Extra notes were written for Notes to current Part 1 questions.
Extra notes were written for the topics of: 77. Someone Who Does Something Well and 76. Something You Made by Hand on Parts 2/3 Page 16 ; 71. A Modern Building and 73. A Public Event on Parts 2/3 Page 15; and 60. A Leader and 59. Some Advice You Received on Parts 2/3 Page 12 .
March 9, 2007 (9 PM)
The following pages were slightly modified: Parts 2/3 Page 7 Parts 2/3 Page 13 Parts 2/3 Page 14 Parts 2/3 Page 15 Parts 2/3 Page 16
More notes for the current Part 1 and some Part 2/3 questions will be uploaded later tonight.
March 9, 2007
Current Part 1 Questions was changed a little.
Extra notes were written for Notes to current Part 1 questions. (More to come later tonight.)
Topic Usage Page 2 was updated. (No new topics)
Some minor additions were made to the following Part2/3 pages: Parts 2/3 Page 2 Parts 2/3 Page 11 Other Part2/3 pages will be updated later tonight.
March 4, 2007
No changes have been made to the website yet. This note is to let you know that no new Part 2 topics were reported for the test of March 3/4 in mainland China. It is significant to note that Topic #1 from my list, 'An Important Letter' was used on March 3. This is an example that my topic list does not always have the oldest topics first - when I started the list in June 2006, I simply added topics as I became aware of them on the internet bulletin boards.
The 'Topic Usage' page will be updated in a day or two and minor additions will be made to some of the known Part 2/3 topics.
February 23, 2007
Blog page 3 was written, concerning topics 69 (Open-Air Market) & topics 11 & 81, both about art.
February 22, 2007
A few typographical errors were corrected in the page The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade (I don't know how I missed these errors before!)
February 19, 2007
Following the tests of February 3 and February 10, the following pages were written or updated: Part 1 Questions; Part 2/3 Index page; Parts 2/3 Page 2; Parts 2/3 Page 5; Parts 2/3 Page 9; Parts 2/3 Page 10; Parts 2/3 Page 11; Parts 2/3 Page 12; Parts 2/3 Page 13; Parts 2/3 Page 14; Parts 2/3 Page 15; Parts 2/3 Page 16; Parts 2/3 Page 17; Topic Usage Page 2
January 28, 2007
A few small changes were made to the
document, 'YES/NO'
QUESTIONS' .
1) The sentence beginning with "Some candidates answer a 'Yes/No' question by omitting ..." was rewritten.
2) The sentence: “Yes, I do like it but, at the moment I don't have much time to watch basketball games on TV.” was changed to: “Yes, I do like it but, at the moment I don't have much time to watch basketball games on TV.”
3) The sentence: 'Only use “Of course” once in this way.' was changed to: "I suggest you don't use “Of course” this way but if you do use it, use it only once in the test."
January 25, 2007
An email, with my reply, about nervousness was added to the Blog, page 2.
January 24, 2007
The Part 1 questions were tidied up a little bit.
January 23, 2007 (later the same day)
Following the test of January 20, the Parts 2/3 questions were updated.
The following Parts 2/3 pages were modified: Index; Page 4; Page 14; Page 15; Page 16; and Topic Usage, Page 2.
A page 2 to the Blog was added. This has some comments about what Part 2 topics are probably no longer in use.
January 23, 2007 (later the same day)
The page, 'YES/NO'
QUESTIONS' was changed to more clearly explain when to repeat
the main verb and to more clearly introduce the answers using modal verbs.
The short answers: “I
suppose not.” and “I guess not.” were added.
January 23, 2007
Following the test of January 20, 2007, the Current Part 1 Questions were updated. The updated Parts 2 and 3 questions will be posted on this website later today or tomorrow.
January 17, 2007
The page, 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS' . was rewritten in places to make it easier to read.
January 15, 2007 (Later the same day)
Following the test of January 13/14, the Parts 2/3 questions were updated.
The following Parts 2/3 pages were modified: Index; Page 3; Page 8; Page 9; Page 11; Page 13; Page 14; Page 15; and Topic Usage, Page 2.
January 15, 2007
Following the test of January 13/14, the Current Part 1 Questions were updated. (The updated Parts 2/3 questions will be uploaded tomorrow.)
January 12, 2007 (Later the same day)
A small change was made to the Part 1 questions (under 'Your Studies') and a page of 'Notes' for Part 1 was started.
January 12, 2007
An improved copy of 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS' . was uploaded.
'Your Studies, Page 2' was uploaded. This page covers the questions, "Why did you choose to study that?" and "Do you like it?"
The page 'Your Work' had a section added to it covering the questions "Why did you choose that work?" and "Do you like it?" Basically, the same (or similar) kind of answers as for students should be given for these questions.
January 11, 2007
A new category of pages was added, called 'Types of Questions'. The first item for this category is 'YES/NO' QUESTIONS' .
January 09, 2007
Following the January 6 test, a new set of Part 1 topics and questions was written. This will be added to over the next few tests.
Following the January 6 test, three new Part 2/3 topics were added. Changes were made to the following Part 2/3 pages: P4, P10, P11, P12, P14
Note: With the beginning of a new year, it is very possible that some of the Part 2/3 topics from 2006 were completely taken out of circulation. However, we will not be able to guess which ones were taken out until we can see that these topics have not been used for a long time.
December 21, 2006
The following pages were added to or modified in some other ways: Common Pronunciation Errors , Improving Your Pronunciation , Improving Your Vocabulary , Improving Your Grammar and Adverbs .
December 20, 2006
The Part 2/3 topic pages were added to following the Dec. 9 & Dec. 16 tests. All of the Part 2/3 pages were modified except for Pages 4, 8 & 14.
The Part 1 topics and questions for Sept. 2 to Dec. 16 were placed into the archives and a new page for Part 1 (currently empty of questions) was uploaded to form the next 'Current Part 1 Questions' page.
A new page, 'Conversion Table from Raw Score to Band Score' was added to the website.
December 17, 2006
The page The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade was once again tidied up, to make it a little easier to read.
December 13, 2006
The page The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade was improved and tidied up.
December 12, 2006
Several new pages were added today. Some of these pages will be rewritten in greater detail at a later date. The added pages were:
The Grading Criteria - How The Examiner Determines Your Grade
December 11, 2006
The page "Cohesive Connecting Words", which was first uploaded yesterday, was changed in a few ways.
A new page, 'Adverbs' was added. Although I have placed this under 'Vocabulary' on the home page, many of these adverbs have a strong cohesive (= linking) effect on your language.
December 10, 2006
A new page called "Cohesive Connecting Words" was added.
December 04, 2006
Following the December 2 test, Part 2/3 topic pages 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 14 and the Part 2/3 Introduction page were updated with a few more questions. No new topics were reported.
Topic # 24 was changed to read, "Describe (a place in) a city you have visited." Previously the topic was written as, "Describe a place in a city you have visited." It is unclear what the real wording of the topic is.
Topic # 58, which was previously worded as, "Describe a country you would like to visit" and was flagged as "Possibly not a Part 2 topic" was changed. It is now included as a real, possible Part 2 topic and the wording is changed to, "Describe a place you would like to travel to." Of course, this place could be a country.
Topic # 9, which was previously worded as, "An Unsatisfactory Purchase" was changed to read, "An Unhappy Shopping Experience".
Note that Guangzhou, Xiamen and Changsha used an old set of Part 1 questions for the Dec. 2 test. See "Current Part 1 questions' for more on this.
November 29, 2006
Following the November 25 test, Part 2/3 topic pages 4, 7, 9, 10, 11 & 14 were updated with a few more questions. No new topics were reported.
November 25, 2006
A new page was added under the Pronunciation category - 'Lists of Word Combinations'. These are lists of 'sets' of compound nouns and other word combinations that can help you avoid stress placement errors when pronouncing word combinations. The average test taker in China, should NOT spend A LOT of time practicing these but familiarity with them is useful.
November 24, 2006
Part 2/3 topic pages 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11and 12 were updated with a few new questions following the Nov. 18-19 test. No new Part 2 topics were reported.
I have changed topic #52, 'A Domestic Animal' from "Possibly not a Part 2 topic" to a possible topic.
One minor addition was made to the Part 1 questions: "Did/do you like your secondary school?"
The page on Part 2 topic usage history was updated.
November 10, 2006
A new page, 'If the Current Part 1 Questions Are Not For You' was added. This page gives some suggestions on how to prepare for Part 1 when you don't have any information about the topics and questions.
November 6, 2006
Topics and questions were updated after Oct 28 and Nov 4 tests. Only one new Part 2 topic seems to have been reported, 'Clothes'. This was in fact mentioned after the Oct 14 or 21 test but was not added to the list then because of a lack of information.
A new page, "Reported Part 2 Topics" has been added. The purpose of this page is to keep track of which topics are heavily used in each test. It is probable that these topics won't be frequently used in the next 1 or 2 tests. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they will not be used at all!
I have also started labeling some of the Part 3 questions as "FREQUENT QUESTION". These frequent questions reflect the questions that are in the examiners' question book. This does not mean that if a question is not labeled, then it is not in the examiners' book. (As you should know, examiners make some of their own questions in Part 3.) However, this labeling should help you to know which Part 3 questions to prepare for first.
The pages for all the Part 2/3 topics and questions have been rearranged into smaller pages.
October 31, 2006
A page called 'Your Work' was added.
October 25, 2006
Two new items were added to the website: 'Your Work or Your Studies' and 'Some Current Part 1 Vocabulary'.
October 24, 2006
Part 1 and Parts 2/3 topics and questions updated after October 21, 22 test. Note that some questions were added to or changed in old topics. Only one 'new' topic was added to Part 2 - A Hotel. (I write 'new' because it might have been in the test before, unknown to me.)
October 21, 2006
I've started a new page, a Blog. This item will be more informal and more personal than other pages and will be added to more frequently than other pages. I will include my replies to some queries that my students and other readers of this site email to me. I anticipate that I'll add to this page, on the average, every two or three days. Feel free to send me questions.
October 19, 2006
Lists of Part 1 & Parts 2/3 questions updated after the October 14,15 & 16 tests.
Two new pages added which put the Part 2 topics into groups of similar topics. One page groups the topics by similarity of subject. The other groups the topics by the major verb form (not always the only verb form) that should be used in the answer.
October 10, 2006
A few changes were made to the page, 'Adjectives of Feeling'. More of the adjectives were included in the group that should not be preceded by the word 'very'.
October 6, 2006
October 5, 2006
September 26, 2006
Observations from this past weekend's test
September 18, 2006
September 16, 2006
September 13, 2006
September 6, 2006
September 5, 2006
August 29, 2006
August 16, 2006
August 13, 2006
August 03, 2006
August 02, 2006
July 10, 2006
July 08, 2006
July 02, 2006
June 30, 2006
June 29, 2006
June 23, 2006
June 16, 2006
June 15, 2006
June 13, 2006
June 12, 2006
June 8, 2006
June 7, 2006