Lesson# 1

Lesson 1
Starting off
1. Work in small groups6 match the reasons for studying
in a different country (a-d) with the photos (1-4).
a. To get internationally recognized qualifications
b. To learn a foreign language
c. To experience living in a different culture
d. To make friends with people from other countries

2. Now discuss these questions.
 Which reason for studying abroad would be
the most important for you?
 What other reasons do people have for
studying abroad?

Exam information
 You hear a conversation between two
people on a social or practical topic.
 In this section only, you are given an
example at beginning.
 You write your answer s on the question
paper while listen.

Exercise 1
Work in pairs. You are going to hear a
conversation with a woman who wants to
join an international social club. Before
you listen, look at the advert below.
 What is an international social club?
 Would you enjoy being a member?
Why?/Why not?

Meet people from
around the world at the
International Social Club!
We organize events
for people from different
countries to meet and share
ideas and experiences. If
you want to widen your
horizons by meeting
people of different
nationalities in a social
atmosphere, click here to
join.

Exercise 2
Work in pairs. Read Question 1-5 in this Listening
task. Decide what information you will need for each
gap; for example, which answers might need
members? Which might need the name of activity?

Questions 1-5
 Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for
each answer.

Form completion
 While you read the questions, think what type of
information you need for each gap.
 You will often hear someone spell a name or say a number.
Make sure you know how to say letters and numbers in
English.
 Write numbers as figures, not words
Exam advise

Exercise 4
Read Questions 6-10. Underline the key
idea in each question.
Questions 6-10 Choose the correct letter A,B
or C.
6. According to Don, what might be a problem
for Jenny?
A her accent
B talking to her colleagues
C understanding local people

7. How many members does the club have
now?
A 30
B 50
C 80
8. How often does the club meet?
A once a week
B once every two week
C once a month

9. What is the club’s most frequent type of
activity?
A talk
B visit
C meal
10. The main purpose of the club is to help
members to
A meet Australians
B learn about life in Australia
C enjoy themselves together

Exercise 5 Now listen and
answer Questions 6-10.
Multiple choice
 Before you listen, underline the key idea
in each question.
 The correct answer is often expressed
using different words from the words in
the question.
Exam advise

Exercise 6
Work in pairs. Imagine that you want to
join the International Social Club. Take
turns to interview each other to complete
the form in Exercise 2.

Exam information
 Reading passage 1 is usually a factual test.
 You need to find specific information.
 It is usually easier than the other parts, so
it’s a good idea to do it first.

Exercise 1
Work in a small group. Look at the list of
things people do when they live or study in
a different country.
Which do you think are quite easy and
which are more difficult? Why?

 Eating different food
 Understanding people
 Getting to know local people
 Using public transport
 Missing family and friends
 Obtaining the correct papers

Exercise 2
You are going to read a passage about
culture shock. Read the title of the
passage and the subheading in italics.
What do you think CULTURE SHOCK is?

Exercise 3 Read the whole passage quickly. Which stage of
culture shock seems to be the most unfortunate?
Australian culture and culture shock
(by Anna jones and Xuan Quach)
Sometimes work, study or a sense of adventure take us out of our familiar surroundings to
go and live in different culture. The experience can be difficult, even shocking.
Almost everyone who studies, lives or works abroad has problems adjusting to a
new culture. This response is commonly referred to as “culture shock”. Culture
shock can be defined as “the physical and emotional discomfort a person
experience when entering from their own” (Weaver, 1993)
For people moving to Australia, Price (2001) has identified certain values which may give
rise to culture shock. Firstly, he argues that Australians place a high value on independence
and personal choice. This means that a teacher or course tutor will not tell students what to
do, but will give them a number of options and suggest they work out which one is the best
in their circumstance. It also means that they bare expected to take action if something goes
wrong and seek out resources and support for themselves.

Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than
believing there is one truth.
This means that in an educational setting, students will be expected to form
their own opinions and depend the reasons for that point of view and the
evidence for it.
Price also comments that Australians are uncomfortable with differences in
status and hence idealize the idea of treating everyone equally. An
illustration of this is that most adults Australians call each other by first
names. This concern with equally means that Australians are
uncomfortable taking anything too seriously and are even ready to joke
about themselves.

Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time. As a
consequence, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing
nothing but study. Australians notions of privacy mean that areas such as financial
matters, appearance and relationships are only discussed with close friends. While
people may volunteer such information, they may resent someone actually asking them
unless the friendship is firmly established. Even then, it is considered very impolite to
ask someone what they earn. With older people, it is also rude to ask how old they are,
why they are not married or why they do not have children. It is also impolite to ask
people how much they have paid for something, unless there is a very good reason for
asking.

Kohls(1996) describes culture shock as a process of change marked by
four basic stages. During the first stage, the new arrival is excited to be
in a new place, so this is often referred to as the “honeymoon” stage.
Like a tourist, they are intrigued by all the new sights and sounds, new
smells and tastes of their surroundings. They may have some problems,
but usually they accept them as just part of the novelty. At this point, it
is the similarities that stand out , and it seems to the newcomer that
people everywhere and their way of life are very much alike. This
period of euphoria may last from a couple of weeks to a month, but the
letdown is inevitable.

During the second stage, known as the “rejection” stage. The newcomer starts to
experience difficulties due to the differences between the new culture and the way
they were accustomed to living. The initial enthusiasm turns into irritation,
frustration, anger and depression, and these feelings may have the effect of people
rejecting the new culture so that they notice only the things that cause them
trouble, which they then complain about. In addition, they may feel homesick,
bored, withdrawn and irritable during this period as well.
Fortunately, most people gradually learn to adapt to the new culture and move on
to the third stage, known as ‘adjustment and reorientation’. During this stage a
transition occurs to a new optimistic attitude. As the newcomer begins to
understand more of the new culture, they are able to interpret some of the subtle
cultural clues which passed by unnoticed earlier. Now things make more sense and
the culture seems more familiar. As a result, they begin to develop problem-solving
skills, and feelings of disorientation and anxiety no longer affect them.

In Kohls’s model, in the fourth stage, newcomers undergo a
process of adaptation. They have settled into the new culture,
and this results in a feeling of direction and self-confidence.
They have accepted the new food, drinks, habits and customs
and may even find themselves enjoying some of the very
customs that bothered them so much previously. In addition,
they realise that the new culture has good and bad things to
offer and that no way is really better than another, just
different.

Exercise 4
Read the paragraph in blue in the passage and say
which of these statements is TRUE, which is FALSE
and which is NOT GIVEN.
 Culture shock affects most people who spend time
living in another country.
 Culture shock affects certain types of people more
quickly than others.
 Culture shock only affects how people feel.

Exercise 5
Use the underlined words in Questions 1–6
below to find the relevant part of the
passage. Then read those parts of the
passage carefully to answer the questions.
Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the
information given in the reading passage?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the
information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the
information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Australian teachers will suggest alternatives to students rather than offer
one solution.
2. In Australia, teachers will show interest in students’ personal
circumstances.
3. Australians use people’s first names so that everyone feels their status is
similar.
4. Students who study all the time may receive positive comments from
their colleagues.
5. It is acceptable to discuss financial issues with people you do not know
well.
6. Younger Australians tend to be friendlier than older Australians.
.

Exam advice True / False / Not Given
• If the passage expresses the same information,
write TRUE.
• If the passage expresses the opposite
information, write FALSE.
• If the passage does not include the information
expressed in the question, write NOT GIVEN

Exercise 6 Work in pairs. Look at Questions 7–
13 below.
1. Will you need to read the whole passage again
to answer the questions?
2. What type of word(s) (noun, adjective, verb) do
you need for each gap?
3. What type of information do you need for each
gap?

Questions 7–13 Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
from the passage for each answer.
The stages of the cultural shock.

Exercise 7
Now read the relevant sections of the
passage and answer Questions 7–13.

Exercise 8 Work in small groups.
• Have you ever lived or travelled abroad? If
so, how did you feel about the different
culture? Did you suffer from culture shock to
start with?
• How is your culture similar to or different
from Australian culture as described in the
passage?

Exam advice: Table completion
 Check how many words you are allowed to
use.
 Use words exactly as they are spelled in the
passage.
 Check that your answers are grammatically
correct.

Vocabulary
Problem or trouble? Affect or effect
IELTS candidates often confuse
problem/ trouble and affect/effect. Read
these extracts from the Cambridge
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (CALD)
and the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
(CLD). Then circle the correct word in
sentences 1-4.

Trouble or Problem?
Problem means a situation that causes
difficulties and that needs to be dealt with.
You can talk about a problem or problems.
Tell me what the problem is.
He’s having a few problems at work.

Trouble means a problems, difficulties or
worries and is used to talk about problems in
a more general way. Trouble is almost
always uncountable, so do not use the
determine a before it.
We had some trouble while we were on
holiday.

affect or effect?
Affect is a verb which means ‘to cause a
change’.
Pollution seriously affects the environment.
Use the noun effect to talk about the change reaction
or result caused by something.
Global warming is one of the effects of pollution.

Exercise 1
1. They may have some problems/troubles,
but usually they accept them.
2. They notice only the things that cause them
a problem/trouble.
3. Feelings of disorientation and anxiety no
longer affect/ effect them.
4. These feelings may have the affect/effect of
people rejecting the new culture.

Exercise 2 Five of these sentences contain a mistake made
by IELTS candidates. Find and correct the mistakes.
1. Many students’ studies are effected by
difficulties with language. affected
2. Overseas students have accommodation
problems.
3. Modern lifestyles have an affect on our
health.
4. Other countries effect our customs.
5. Immigrants have an affect on the local
economy
6. Most children can deal with their own
troubles.

Task information
 The examiner asks about yourself, your
home, work, studies and other topics.
 This part lasts between four and five
minutes.

Exercise 1
Listen to four IELTS candidates- Svetlana,
Huan, Reva and Mateusz – each answering
one of the questions below.
Which question does each candidate
answer?

Exercise 2 Work in pairs. Which of these statements are
good things to do in Speaking Part 1? Tick the boxes.
1. Answer each question as briefly as possible
in two or three words.
2. Give reasons for your answers.
3. Offer extra details.
4. Sound interested in what you are saying.
5. Repeat the exact words of the question.
6. Speak clearly so that the examiner can hear
you easily.

Exercise 3
 Listen to the four candidate again.
Which of the things in Exercise 2 do
they all do?
Pronunciation: Sentence stress 1

Exercise 4
Think about how you would answer
questions 1-10 in Exercise 1 and write notes.
Example: Moscow, large city, western Russia

Exercise 5
Work in pairs. Take turns to interview each
other using the questions in Exercise 1.
Exam advice Speaking part 1
 Give the reasons for your answers.
 Offer extra details.
 Use your own words when possible.

Pronunciation
Sentence stress 1
 You should put the stress on the words
you think give the most important
information. When you answer a question,
you normally stress the words which give
the answer.

Exercise 1 Read and listen to these extracts from the
candidates’ answers in speaking part 1. Underline
the stressed words in each extract.
1. Well, I think the people here are very
friendly and I’ve made a lot of new friends.
2. Well, I’m not too keen on flying because you
spend too long at airports.
3. I find it hard being away from my family and
not seeing my friends.
4. I’ve been here since I came to university, so
for about two years.

Exercise 2
Work in pairs. Take turns to read the
candidates’ answer in Exercise 1

Exam information
- You write a summary of information from
one or more graphs, tables, charts or
diagrams.
- You must also compare some of the
information and write an overview.
- You must write at least 150 words in about
20 minutes.

Exercise 1
Work in pairs. Look at the different ways
of showing information (A-E) and match
them with their names (1-5)

1.pie chart 2. diagram 3. bar chart
4. line graph 5. table

Exercise 2
Work in pairs. Look at the introductory sentence
to a summary of the information in the line graph
(A) in Exercise 1 and answer the question below.
The graph shows the changes in the number of people
from abroad who visited Townsville, Queensland over
a four-year period.
Which word(s)…
1. Say how the information is shown?
2. Explain the purpose of the graph using the
writer’s own words?
3. Express the time period the information covers?

Exercise 3
Write introductory sentences for the pie chart
(B) and the bar chart (C) by putting these
phrases in the correct order.
B and the languages /in Winchester, California, /
The chart shows /the number of households /
which people speak there
C according to age /how the problems vary /
into a new country and /The chart shows/ the
difficulties people have /when they integrate

Exercise 4
Work in pairs. Write your own
introductory sentences for the diagram (D)
and the table (E).

Exercise 5 Work in pair. Look at this Writing task
and answer questions 1-3 on the opposite page.
The chart below shows information about the problems people
have when they go to live in other countries,
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main
features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1. What is the greatest problem for 18-34-
year-olds? How many of them experience
this problem? How does this compare with
the other age groups?
2. What is most problematic for people in the
oldest age group? How does this compare
with the youngest age group?
3. What thing does the oldest age group have
the least difficulty with? How does this
compare with the other age groups?

Exercise 6
Read the sample answer below to the Writing
task.
1. Which paragraphs answer questions 1-3 in
Exercise 5?
2. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

The chart shows the difficulties people have when they move to a new
country and how the problems vary according to people’s ages.
The greatest problem for young people aged 18 to 34 is forming friendships,
a problem experienced by 46 percent of the people in this age group.
However, only 36 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds find it hard to make friends,
while even fewer people over 55 (23 percent) have this problem.
Fifty-four percent of the older age group find learning to speak the local
language the most problematic. In comparison, the youngest age group finds
this easier, and the percentage who have problems learning the language is
much lower, at 29 percent.
In contrast to their language-learning difficulties, only 22 percent of people
in the oldest age group have trouble finding accommodation. However, this
is the second most significant problem for the other two age groups with 39
to 40 percent of the people in each group finding it hard.
In general, all age groups experience the same problems to some extent, but
the percentage of older people who find language learning difficult is much
higher than the others.

Exercise 7 You will get higher marks in the exam if you
use your own words, not the words in the Writing task.
1 What words does the writer use in the sample answer for
these words?
a. problems difficulties
b. go to live
c. other countries
2 What other information does the writer add in the
introductory paragraph?

Exercise 8 IELTS candidates often make mistakes when
they use percent and percentage. Look at the two
underlined sentences in the sample answer in Exercise 6.
1. Which word – percent or percentage – is
used after a number?
2. Which word is not used with the exact
number given?
3. Do we use a before percent?
4. Which word do we use before percentage?
5. Can we make percent plural?

Exercise 9 Each of these sentences contains a
mistake made by IELTS candidates. Find and
correct the mistakes.
1. The graph shows the increase in the percent of
people who used rail transport between 1976 and
1999. percentage
2. The graph shows the percentage of people with a
criminal record according to their age and percentage
of people in prison according to their gender.
3. By 1995, the numbers had fallen to a two percent.

4. In 2004, the number rose to approximately 58
percent.
5. It is surprising that percentage of people
watching television remained the same.
6. On the other hand, socializing with friends rose
sharply to 25 percentage in comparison with 1981.
Exam advice Chart summary
• Write a short introductory paragraph saying what
the chart shows.
• Compare the important information.
• Include figures from the chart in your summary.
• Don’t suggest reasons for the data which are
not included in the information you are given.

Exercise 10 Work in pairs. Look at the Writing task
below.
1. What does the chart show?
2. What information would you put in your introductory
sentence?
3. What is the biggest problem for the middle age group?
What percentage of them experience this problem? How
does this compare with the other age groups?
4. Which age group seems to have the most problems
related to money? How does this compare with the other
age groups?
5. Which group has the most problems finding a school for
their children? And which has the least?
6. In general, which group has to deal with the most
problems?

 The chart below shows information about the problems people
have when they go to live in
 other countries.
 Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main
features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Exercise 11 Write a brief plan for your summary.
• How many paragraphs will you need?
• What information will you include in each
paragraph?
Write your answer to the task in at least
150 words. Use the sample summary in
Exercise 6 to help you.

Key grammar Making comparisons
Match the rules for making comparisons (1–4) with the examples from
the sample summary from Exercise 6 (a–d).
a easier
b higher
c the greatest
d the most problematic
1. Form comparatives of adjectives with one syllable by adding –er.
2. Form superlatives of adjectives with one syllable by adding the –
est.
3. Form comparisons and superlatives of adjectives with two
syllables ending in –y by changing y to I and adding –er and –est.
4. Form comparisons and superlatives of adjectives with more than
one syllable by adding more and the most.
3

Exercise 2 Complete these sentences by putting the
adjective in brackets into the correct form.
1. Learning the language is the most important
(important) thing for people going to live in a new
country.
2. Many people find making friends ……..(hard)
than finding a job.
3. Local people are often ………..(friendly) than
you expect.
4. If the climate is…… (warm) or …..(cold) than
at home, it affects the way people feel about their
new country.
5. (old) people are often …..(good) at making
friends than younger people.

Exercise 3
IELTS candidates often make mistakes with comparisons
of adjectives and adverbs. Find and correct the mistakes
in each of these sentences.
1. I can read English easyier than before. more easily
2. Living in the country is the better way to learn the
language.
3. Travelling is becoming more clean and safe.
4. The most highest percentage appeared in 1991.
5. Workers’ salaries got worser in the year 2001.
6. I want to study abroad so that I can get a more well job in
the future.

Lesson# 1

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