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Showing posts with label IELTS Test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IELTS Test. Show all posts

Monday, 26 January 2015

Understanding IELTS Score Card

IELTS scores are given in the form of Band from 1 - 9.

Higher band means you have an excellent command over English Language. You can view the meaning of each band on British Council Website.

Please note below points pertaining to Bands.

  1. Each country has a different criteria with reference to the band. For example - To be able to apply for skilled visa 190 for Australia, you should score a band of 7 or above in each section of IELTS. While for Canada immigration, you need to score 7 and above in all sections except Listening Section in which you will need to score at least 7.5
  2. Requirements of Band scores is also based upon the kind of course you will be attending or occupation you will be working abroad. Teaching occupation usually require higher band scores.
  3. IELTS scores requirements are also dependant upon the colleges as well.

You should always aim to get the highest band in each section as it will help you rank higher to other applicants and you will also get a Visa without much hassles.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Writing section in IELTS General Test

General Writing Section Pattern.

In general writing section, you are given 2 tasks.
1. Writing a letter.
2. Writing an essay or article on an abstract topic or argument.

Letter Writing.
In this section, you have to write a letter based on certain situation. Letter should be at least 150 words long (Approximately 15-20 lines) and you are given 20 minutes time to complete it.

Some of the topics for letter writing are given below.

  1. You met an accident and so you will not be able to attend office for a week. Write a letter to manager stating how accident occurred, how long it will take to recuperate and How you will manage work load after you join the work.
  2. You are going on a trip. You will be off for 2 weeks. Write a letter to neighbour requesting him to take care of your house.
  3. Your best friend has invited you for his birthday party. But due to certain unavoidable circumstances, you are not able to make it to the party. Write a letter to your friend explaining him your situation.
  4. You are staying away from your home for education. Write a letter to your parents and tell about how your study is going on and also mention how you miss them.
  5. Your friend has got a high paying job. Write a letter to him congratulating him about the achievement. 

You may find below clauses useful while writing the letters.

  1. I am writing to ask.
  2. One thing I am worried about is cost.
  3. I have also heard that
  4. I am afraid it would feel very hot.
  5. Another thing I wonder about is recreational activities.
  6. Other important thing is housing. What neighbourhood would you recommend.
  7. I appreciate your taking time to answer my questions
  8. I look forward to hearing from you.
  9. I believe that
  10. Of course, we could do that.
  11. Everyone has different situation and attitude. Each individual is a different person. So one must evaluate his or her individual situation when deciding whether doing something is good or bad. 
  12. Generally, I feel that
  13. I think It would fair enough to
  14. I have enjoyed living next door to you.
  15. I have enjoyed getting to know you as a neighbour.
  16. I would like to get small issue to your attention.
  17. I wonder if you would not mind listening to music at lower volume.
  18. That way I could sleep better.
  19. Please come over to my place any time.
  20. As with everything, there are plus (pros) and minus (cons) to laptops.
  21. Thank you very much for letting me to..
  22. I hope you will not mind doing me a favour.
  23. I am terribly sorry about misbehaviour.
  24. I hope this solution is satisfactory to you.
  25. I am writing to thank you for your kind hospitality during my recent visit to your home.
  26. It was a very kind of you to help me out.
  27. Children should be encouraged to do whatever they like to do.
  28. That is a good fit for me.
  29. I would also appreciate some help with my clothing.
  30. I hope to hear from you soon.
  31. I would like to ask you a big favour.
  32. Will you water the garden.

Now let us see some sample letters.

Letter on activities and updating someone.
You are asked to complete few household tasks by your father. But you could not complete some of the tasks due to some issues. Write a letter to your father explaining him which tasks you finished and which could not be completed along with explanations. Here we go.

Dear Father,
Thank you for trusting me and believing in my abilities to finish some of the tasks. You asked me to clean the house, get the TV repaired and put the water to plants in garden. It was a pleasure for me to do these tasks.
 I have cleaned the house and garbage has been also dumped into the dust bin outside the house. I have washed and cleaned floor as well as walls. I hope you will like my work. I also called up TV repair man and got it done. It cost me $20 to repair the TV. Some of the TV components were damaged so I got new ones installed in the Kit. It took repair man long time to find the exact issue. So I could not do other tasks during this time as I was assisting him with whatever help he required.
I apologise that I could not water the plants as TV repairing task took a lot of time than expected. I hope you will not mind if I finish this task when I come back from my tuitions.

Letter of appreciation and kudos and congratulations.

Dear KK,
I am writing to congratulate you for winning the speech contest. This would not have been possible without self-determination and dedicated efforts. You have won the competition after going through several rounds fighting out the contestants from various well known colleges. I am really proud of you. It is really an amazing and outstanding performance. I am very happy that I have got such talented and brilliant friend.
At the same time, I would like to caution you about the side effects of big success. Do not get over confident and stay away from biggest enemy – Ego. You just continue to be down to the earth and humble. That’s what makes you stand apart. So Please keep it on. You have much more capacity to scale new heights. So just stick to your dream.
Again I would like to offer kudos and praise you for this amazing feat. I look forward to hearing from you.

Letter of apology.

Dear KK,
Congratulations for getting married. Wish you all luck for your married life. I am terribly sorry for not making to your wedding function.
I have had a plan to attend your wedding but unfortunately I had to change my plans at the last moment as My father was admitted to the hospital on that day and no one was available to take care of him. I hope you understand my situation and helplessness. But I will definitely see you at the reception.
Anyways wish you happy married life. Please apologize for my absence at your wedding.

Letter of encouragement.

Dear Sunil,
I heard that you failed in the exam. I understand that you must be going through tough time. I was also very sad to hear about it.
But do not lose your heart. Ups and Downs are part of the life. Face the challenges with more energy and zest. Failure in one exam is not the end of road. Scientists make several futile attempts before any inventions. You should restart the preparation for the exam with double vigour without worrying too much about recent failure.
If you have free time, would you mind coming over to my house? I would help you to come out of this bad patch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Essay Writing.
In this section, you have to write an essay based on certain topic. Essay should be at least 250 words (Approximately 25-30 lines) long. You need to write an essay expressing your thoughts in coherent manner. At last, you need to conclude your opinion in summary. You are given one topic or argument.
Topics are usually abstract ideas so you do not need to be the expert in that topic. You will not be asked to write on renowned persons, historical events or any specific international issue like Iraq war, ISIS etc.
Some of the sample topics for Essays are given below.


  1. Environmental perils like Global Warming, Garbage issues, Pollution, Drought 
  2. Social menace like Corruption, Adulteration, Traffic Issues, Drugs, Child Abuse, Eve teasing, Ragging, Superstition, Illiteracy, Poverty, Unemployment, Robbery, Dowry, Killing of female foetus, Violence against woman.   
  3. Science (Boon, blessing or bane, curse) – computers, human cloning, nuclear weapons
  4. Human rights – strikes, speech of freedom, Education  
  5. Mercy Killing
  6. Brain Drain
  7. Women outperform men at office?
  8. Opinion polls be banned?
  9. Capital Punishment
  10. Death for rapist?
  11. Too many holidays for employees – good or bad?
  12. Sex education to school children – moral or immoral?
  13. Discrimination based on caste, colour, sex, religion – How to uproot?
  14. Communal-ism – Threat to Unity of Nation
  15. Reservation – useful or useless?
  16. Terrorism
  17. How to stay away from Doctor – fitness mantra (Exercise, Yoga, Avoid smoking)
  18. Violence and vulgarity in TV shows and films.
  19. Good costume, clothing, outfit and attire – symbol and reflection of personality?
  20. Person who tolerates the harassment is the bigger culprit?


Writing an essay is an art. For any given topic, you need to divide it into multiple sub topics by asking questions like what, why, when, how etc. Essay should start with introduction of topic, then discussion on subtopic with examples and finally end with the summary in nutshell.

Essay on crime and culprits 
Let us now write a sample essay on the topic – "Person who tolerates the harassment is the bigger culprit?"
Let us organise our essay in below parts.
1. Introduction.
2. Places where you could be harassed and How harassment impacts you?
3. why you should not tolerate any kind of harassment? What will happen if you do not raise your voice?
4. Explain with any example.
5. How to raise your voice against tormentor? How to fight back.
6. Summary.
Once you have divided main topic into sub topics, you will find it very easy to write one paragraph on each sub topic.
Person who tolerates the harassment is the bigger culprit?
People from every walk of life may become a victim of harassment or misbehaviour or inhuman act, disorderly conduct. Harassment could be in any of the below form.
1. Teasing someone at public places.
2. Treating someone with rudeness at offices or work site.
3. Indulging in unruly or undisciplined activities at public places.
4. Annoying someone leading to mental or physical harm at offices.
5. Making someone feel ashamed or embarrassed by forcing them to do immoral acts or by insulting them.
6. Subjecting someone to ragging in colleges.
7. Subjecting someone, especially daughter-in-law, to mental harassment at home.
8. Beating, thrashing, flogging, lashing innocent person for no fault of theirs.
9. Demanding dowry
10. Extorting money from someone
11. taunting remarks from the in-laws
Harassment has become a nuisance, menace and threat to many innocent people.  It is causing the shock and fear in minds of people who are subjected to heinous and inhuman acts. With many people becoming victim to some sort of harassment, time has now come to take a strict action against miscreants and anti-social elements. This menace has made victims suffer from mental problems, health problems. Some of the victims have also committed suicide and many have attempted to end their lives. Many women have become the victim of in-laws mental and physical harassment.
Despite of many laws related to ragging, domestic violence and mental harassment at offices , no one can claim that harassment has been eradicated completely from the society. As per the anti harassment laws, those found guilty of harassment at any place will not be spared. People involved in ragging may be dismissed from college if found guilty. Similarly any offenders may be put behind bars for their inhuman acts immediately.
The point which needs to be highlighted here is that why people are resorting to such misdeeds. Not just poor people but those from decent families have also been found guilty of harassment. The reason behind this is that our society is lacking moral and ethical values. Bookish knowledge of some mathematical formulae is useless. We should inculcate students about the importance of love, affection in their life. All parents and teachers should take the responsibility of teaching students  about the necessity of good human being.
We should teach them to know the importance of below lines.
If money is lost, nothing is lost.
If health is lost, something is lost.
If character is lost, everything is lost.
Social awakening is required to kill the evil of harassment like ragging and dowry. Some solutions are not easy in this materialistic world where the lust for money can not be reduced. More stringent laws, more awareness, more education to women, more social initiatives and drives are required to curb the cases of harassment.
Some victims do not raise their voice against violence subjected to them. Without complaining against harassment, how are the victims going to get justice? I strongly believe that victims should not suffer from the pain silently. Unless criminal acts are brought to the attention of police officers, such crimes will keep on rising. It is said that stitch in time saves nine. So reaction in time is very important to prevent further devastation. If anyone is suffering from mental or physical harassment, the matter should be immediately reported to your loved ones and law  enforcing authorities.

Essay on Environmental Issues.
Let us now write another sample essay on the topic – "The earth is on the verge of collapse due to environmental issues like pollution, global warming, droughts, floods, earthquakes, deforestation, improper management of garbage"
Let us organise our essay in below parts.
1. Introduction.
2. What is killing the environment?
3. How are we killing the environment
4. Explain with any example.
5. How to save the earth and environment.
6. Summary.
Once you have divided main topic into sub topics, you will find it very easy to write one paragraph on each sub topic.
The earth is on the verge of collapse?
God created beautiful planet thousands of years ago. At that time, GOD would not have thought that humans will ruin the EARTH completely. Currently the Earth is on the brink of collapse due to many issues originally caused by human beings.
Greedy humans disregarded the importance of forests, rivers, trees and clean air. Reckless exploitation of natural resources is causing serious impact on the purity of environment. Unplanned industrialisation has affected the environment to the great extent. For the self development, humans destroyed forests. The use of automobiles is growing day by day leading to increase in the level of air pollution. New factories are being set up without proper sewage treatment plants. Hazardous chemicals are being released into the rivers endangering the flora and fauna of rivers and in turn oceans. Cities are producing enormous amount of garbage every day but there is no plan about the correct processing of the waste material. In developing countries like India, garbage is dumped in open ground on the outskirts of cities making the lives of people living in nearby area miserable and prone to health problems. Open dumping of garbage can be very dangerous as it may lead to the epidemic diseases like dengue, malaria etc.  Due to the rapid growth of industrialization, harmful green gases are released into atmosphere leading to rise in the Earth temperature. This is resulting in the melting of ice bergs in the arctic ocean and rise in the sea water level. According to research reports, in few years time cities situated near coastal areas around the world will have to be shifted to somewhere else due to rising water level. In the quest for better living and earning big profits, corrupt officials are allowing the property developers to build illegal residential projects by cutting down the forests and mountains. As more and more people are attracted to already crumbling cities, demand for basic necessities is also ramping up. Everyone wants clean water to drink, enough quality food, a home to live, clothes to wear, 24x7 electricity, better public transportation and clean environment. But rising population is putting more pressure on the cities causing the existing problems to worsen. It is difficult to find the clean rivers flowing through cities. The contaminated water is killing species living under water. The sight of people hanging on the buses and travelling due to over-crowded buses is very common.
Earthquakes, droughts and floods are also very common now a days. Due to heavy deforestation and removal of hills and mountains, enough rain does not come. When it rains very heavily, city administration finds it very difficult to cope up with such natural  disasters. In 2006, Mumbai was completely submerged under water. There was complete shutdown of electricity, public and private transportation due to floods. Local trains were also halted leading to stranding crowds at the stations. Many people lost their lives in that disaster. On the other hand, droughts has been the main reason behind suicide cases in Marathwada region in India. People do not get enough water to drink during droughts. Animals and cattle do not get enough grass  to eat leading to starvation and finally death. Global warming is also triggering major changes in the Earth's interior region. The earthquakes can cause heavy havoc as We can not predict them. Every year thousands of people die in earthquakes. Those who survive any of these natural calamities find it very difficult to start a new life due to psychological  and financial damage. The relief fund announced by the government for victims does not reach them due to corrupt politicians. Any kind of pollution can have far reaching effects on the lives of humans, wild life and other inhabitants on the Earth.
It is high time that all human beings come together to fight out these environmental problems now before situation goes out of control. We can control the damage that we are causing to the Nature and Earth by taking below steps.

  1. Keep your house and surroundings clean and tidy. Separate the dry and wet waste so that garbage processing will become simple.
  2. Participate in cleanliness drives.
  3. Be a part of tree Plantation drive.
  4. Avoid use of private cars which may reduce the pollution and save fuel as well. 
  5. Do not buy auto-mobiles unless it is really useful.
  6. Raise your voice against illegal construction or any other such activities which may jeopardise the environment.
  7. Use water carefully and economically. Do not waste the water.
  8. Do not waste the food. Feed animals if you can not finish the food.
  9. Floods can be controlled with proper planning and drainage systems.
  10. Irrigation projects should be implemented effectively so that water could be diverted to the areas facing droughts.
  11. We should use renewable energy sources like wind power, ocean waves and sunlight wherever we can.    

If all people from around the world unite and follow above points, we can give better environment to the next generation.


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Reading section in IELTS General Test

General Reading Section Pattern
There are 3 sections and over all 40 questions are to be answered in 60 minutes of time.

General Reading Tips
Below tips might help you in getting good score in Reading section.

General Reading Example
Now let us have a look at the example on reading section below. There are 3 sub sections.


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

How to register for IELTS Test

You can register for the IELTS Test on http://www.ielts.org
Please note that There may be different sites specific to each country but I will recommend that you navigate from above site to avoid getting duped on other fake sites.

Registration process is usually online. You must have a valid passport at the time of registration.
I had registered on https://www.ieltsidpindia.com and paid the fee online.
This site provides registration for IELTS test across India and is managed by IDP - one of the entity backing ILETS Test.

After registration, you will get an email stating the exam venue and timing details. Speaking section test is usually scheduled a week after or before main test with 3 sections. Candidates also receive the study material on the correspondence address sent by Test Organisers.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

General IELTS Exam Pattern

IELTS test has 4 sections.
  1. Reading (General Specific)
  2. Writing (General Specific)
  3. Listening  (same Pattern for Academic and General)
  4. Speaking (same Pattern for Academic and General)

How to register?
You can find the test centre on http://www.ielts.org

Exam Fees
Exam fee varies as per the country. In India fee for general test is around $200.


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Why to take IELTS Test

IELTS stands for International English Language Test Standard. You must take this test to prove your proficiency in English language either to secure admission in foreign universities in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand or to apply for a work visa in those countries.

There are 2 types of IELTS tests.

  1. Academic – For students willing to study abroad.
  2. General – For skilled professionals willing to work and live abroad.

So if you are student aspiring to study in any English Speaking developed country, you should take up Academic Test. While Job seekers aspiring to settle in those countries should opt for General Test.

Good score in IELTS test implies that you have a good command in English. All developed countries have designed their Immigration processes with significant importance to IELTS. Band Score of 7 and above helps you rank higher than other applicants. So you stand a better chance to get a visa easily.  

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Sunday, 25 January 2015

Writing Essays in English

Essay writing is an art. Many students and other people find it very hard to write an essay on given topic. But with proper tricks, anyone can write excellent essays very easily.

Why essays are important ?
  1. All students studying in secondary school (Standard 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ) and colleges are required to write an essay as a part of their curriculum.
  2. Students seeking admission into colleges in English speaking countries are also required to face essays in Exams like TOEFL, GRE, IELTS etc.
How essays are important tool to assess the capability of students'?
  1. Essays present an opportunity to the students to show their talent pertaining to the coherent and analytic thinking.
  2. Essays can reflect the thought process and caliber of the exam takers.
For any given topic, you need to divide it into multiple sub topics by asking questions like what, why, when, how etc. Essay should start with introduction of topic, then discussion on subtopic with examples and finally end with the summary in nutshell.In this articles, we are going to learn how to write impressive essays.

Here is the list of essays you may like to have a glimpse at.
  1. Environmental perils like Global Warming, Garbage issues, Pollution, Drought 
  2. Social menaces like Corruption, Adulteration, Traffic Issues, Drugs, Child Abuse, Eve teasing, Ragging, Superstition, Illiteracy, Poverty, Unemployment, Robbery, Dowry, Killing of female fetus, Violence against woman.   
  3. Science (Boon, blessing or bane, curse) – computers, human cloning, nuclear weapons
  4. Human rights – strikes, speech of freedom, Education  
  5. Brain Drain
  6. Women outperform men at office?
  7. Opinion polls should be banned?
  8. Capital Punishment
  9. Death for rapist?
  10. Too many holidays for employees – good or bad?
  11. Sex education to school children – moral or immoral?
  12. Discrimination based on caste, colour, sex, religion – How to uproot?
  13. Communal Riots – Threat to Unity of Nation
  14. Reservation – useful or useless?
  15. Terrorism
  16. How to stay away from Doctor – fitness mantra (Exercise, Yoga, Avoid smoking)
  17. Violence and vulgarity in TV shows and films.
  18. Good clothing, outfit and attire – symbol and reflection of personality?
  19. Person who tolerates the harassment is the bigger culprit?
  20. A memorable trip
  21. Family
  22. Friends
  23. An Accident
  24. Wedding Party
  25. Hobbies
  26. Work
  27. Neighbors
What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Sunday, 14 December 2014

Conjunctions in English Grammar

Conjunctions are the words that are used to connect 2 or more sentences, clause or words.

Examples -

He went home and watched a movie.
In above sentence, we have used "and" to connect 2 sentences as mentioned below.

He went home.
He watched a movie.

Types of Conjunctions in English Grammar.
There are below types of conjunctions.
  1. Coordinating conjunctions
  2. Correlative Conjunctions
  3. Subordinating Conjunctions
1.Coordinating conjunctions
  1. and
  2. for
  3. but
  4. yet
  5. so
  6. no
  7. nor
Examples on Coordinating conjunctions.
  1. I went to office and worked on the software project.
  2. He went to college but did not attend the class.
  3. I opened the door and went inside.
  4. I tried to rescue the man trapped under car but failed to save him.
  5. I will develop the software in Java or .Net Language.
2.Correlative conjunctions
  1. either...or
  2. neither...nor
  3. whether...or
  4. not only...but also
  5. just as ...so
  6. both...and
Examples on Correlative conjunctions.
  1. You can offer me either tea or coffee.
  2. You can offer me neither chicken nor fish.
  3. Whether you go to office or stay here, I do not care.
  4. I not only worked but travelled also.
  5. Both I and my brother are good orators.
3.Subordinating conjunctions
  1. after
  2. although
  3. as
  4. as far as
  5. as if
  6. as long as
  7. as soon as
  8. because
  9. before
  10. even if
  11. even though
  12. every time
  13. if
  14. in order that
  15. since
  16. so
  17. so that
  18. than
  19. though
  20. unless
  21. until
  22. when
  23. whenever
  24. where
  25. whereas
  26. wherever
  27. while
  28. since
  29. now that
  30. as
  31. in order that
  32. so
  33. whether
  34. how
  35. only if
  36. whether or not
  37. in case
Examples on Subordinating conjunctions.
  1. After I completed my education, I got hired by a software company.
  2. Although I speak in English, my native language is Hindi.
  3. I stayed at home as I was not feeling well.
  4. As far as I know, he will be back on Monday.
  5. He ran towards him as if he wanted to hit him.
  6. As long as I am there, you do not need to worry.
  7. As soon as I reached home, it started raining.
  8. I chose computer engineering branch because I wanted to become a software engineer.
  9. Before you go out, close the windows.
  10. Even if I am not expert at computers, I can guide you little bit.
  11. I registered for the IELTS exam because IELTS exam is a prerequisite to become eligible for the Visa to Foreign countries.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Pronouns in English Grammar

Pronouns are used to substitute the nouns.

Examples -
Virat is one of the best player. He is also a good actor. He loves Anushka. She is an actress. They met each other at the Ad shoot.

Instead of using noun every time, we substitute it with pronouns like he, she, they etc.

Types of Pronouns
There are below types of pronouns in English Grammar.
  1. Personal
  2. Indefinite
  3. Reflexive
  4. Reciprocal
  5. Possesive
  6. Demonstrative
  7. Interrogative
  8. Relative

1. Personal Pronouns

Person
Singular
Plural
First
I, Me
We, Us
Second
You
You
Third
He, Him
She, Her
It
They, Them

Examples on Personal Pronouns.

  1. My name is Amar. I am preparing for the IELTS Exam.
  2. Give that book to me.
  3. 4 people met me. I asked them to wait outside.

2. Indefinite Pronouns
Below is the list of indefinite pronouns in English Grammar.
  1. Something, Somebody, Someone
  2. Anything, Anybody, Anyone
  3. Nothing, Nobody, No None
  4. Everything, Everybody, Every One
Example on Indefinite Pronouns.
  1. Somebody called me and said something.
  2. Anyone can complete that task.
  3. Nobody attended the wedding ceremony.
  4. Everybody was in deep shock after hearing the news of his accident.
3. Reflexive Pronouns
Below is the list of reflexive pronouns in English Grammar.
  1. myself
  2. themselves
  3. yourself
  4. yourselves
  5. himself
  6. herself
  7. itself
Examples on Reflexive pronouns.
  1. I will solve that problem myself.
  2. They will accumulate the money themselves for buying a house.
  3. You can learn web programming yourself referring the tutorial.
  4. She cooks herself every day.
4. Reciprocal Pronouns
Below is the list of reciprocal pronouns.
  1. Each other - Use this pronoun when talking about 2 people.
  2. One Another  - Use this pronoun when talking about more than 2 people.
Examples on Reciprocal Pronouns.
  1. They helped each other to escape with minor injuries in an accident.
  2. They fell in love with each other.
  3. We all should be humble to one another.
5. Possessive Pronouns
Below is the list of possessive pronouns.
  1. mine, ours
  2. yours
  3. hers, his, its, theirs.
Examples on possessive Pronouns.
  1. There are 5 cars in the parking zone. Red one is mine.
  2. The 2 story bungalow opposite police station  is ours.
  3. That pen is yours.
  4. Android phone is hers and Windows phone is his.
  5. 2 phones are theirs.
6. Demonstrative Pronouns
Below is the list of demonstrative pronouns.
  1. this
  2. that
  3. these
  4. those
Examples on Demonstrative nouns.
  1. This is my laptop.
  2. That is my car.
  3. These books should not be kept here.
  4. Those papers should be kept in safe place.
7. Interrogative Pronouns
Below is the list of interrogative pronouns.
  1. Who
  2. Whom
  3. Whose
  4. Which 
  5. What
Examples on Interrogative Pronouns.

  1. Who is my partner?
  2. To whom should I ask this query to?
  3. Whose book is this?
  4. Which book do you want to borrow?
  5. What is your daily routine?

8. Relative Pronouns
Below is the list of relative pronouns. These are used in relative clauses.
  1. who  
  2. whom
  3. whose
  4. what
  5. which
  6. that
Examples on Relative Pronouns.
  1. I met one boy who seemed to be in shock.
  2. I asked her whom I should take my query to.
  3. She asked whose plan it was to visit Pune.
  4. I was not happy with what she was doing.
  5. I bought a car which was very expensive.
  6. I got a letter that mentioned the steps I need to take to apply for a Visa.
What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion or ask any question through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Finding a skilled job in New Zealand

Getting a skilled visa for New Zealand requires you to score 140+ points in Points based system. If any employer sponsors your visa, you can easily score 140+ points.

Now the question is how potential employers will contact you if you are not staying in New Zealand?

New Zealand government has got below websites where skilled job seekers can register themselves and then employers can contact them.

http://www.newkiwis.co.nz/global/job_seeker/register.aspx

http://www.workhere.co.nz/news/details/migrating-to-nz-faq

New Zealand has points based system to issue visa. You need to score minimum 140 points to be eligible to get invitation to apply.

Example Profile -
Let us say you below profile.
Your age is 30. You have got a BE degree in computer science from Indian University and you have 7 years of experience in Software Testing. You have also cleared IELTS exam with 7 points in Each Band.

Your score = 105 Points =  25 Points for age + 10 Points for skilled work + 20 Points for Work Experience + 50 points for Qualification.

Thus getting a visa is not easy if you do not have a job offer in hand. Once you get a job offer, you get around 50 points increasing your score to 155. With such a good score, you will easily get a skilled visa and you could become a permanent resident of New Zealand.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Sunday, 7 December 2014

189 and 190 skilled visa points

As you must be aware of the fact that to apply for any skilled Australian visa, you need to score at least 60 points.

Below is the list of Parameters for which you can claim points.

Parameter
Description
Points
Age
18–24 years
25
25–32 years
30
33–39 years
25
40–44 years
15
45–49 years
0
English language.
Test results must be no older than three years.
Competent English (For example in IELTS, Score of 6 in each of the 4 sections of the test is considered as competent English)
0
Proficient English (For example in IELTS, Score of 7 in each of the 4 sections of the test is considered as Proficient English)
10
Superior English  (For example in IELTS, Score of 8 in each of the 4 sections of the test is considered as Superior English)
20
Skilled employment


 Between 3 to 5 years
 5
 Between 5 to 8 years
10
 More than 8 years
15
Qualifications
An award or qualification recognised by the assessing authority in the assessment of the skilled occupation.
10
Other factors
Partner skill qualifications
5
Professional year in Australia for at least 12 months in the four years before the day you were invited to apply
5
Points for Nomination/sponsorship Visas
Nomination by state or territory government (190 only)
5
Nomination by state or territory government or sponsorship by an eligible family member to reside and work in a specified/designated area (489 Visa)
10

Sample example -
Suppose you have a below profile.

  1. Your age is 29.
  2. You have scored Band 7 in each of the 4 sections of the IELTS English Test.
  3. You are into a skilled employment for 5 years as assessed by ACS.
  4. You have a degree from a recognised Institute as assessed by ACS.
In above scenario, your total score will be 60 points.
60  = (30 for age + 10 for English + 10 for Skilled employment + 10 for Education Qualification).


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Sunday, 30 November 2014

Writing Section in IELTS

As you must be knowing, there are 4 sections in IELTS Test.
  1. Reading.
  2. Writing.
  3. Listening.
  4. Speaking.
In this article, we will get familiar with the Writing Section. Writing Section is different for Academic and General Test.

Format of Academic Writing Section in IELTS Test.
This is a 60 minute test. In this section, there are 2 tasks.
  1. Write a report on Graphical Image.
  2. Present your opinion on given topic.

Format of General Writing Section in IELTS Test.
This is a 60 minute test. In this section, there are 2 tasks.
  1. Write a letter.
  2. Write an essay on given topic.
What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

IELTS User Guide

Please find below the table of contents for the IELTS User Guide.

  1. IELTS Introduction.
  2. Why to take IELTS?
  3. IELTS Exam Pattern.
  4. Registering for the Test.
  5. Speaking Section in IELTS.
  6. Listening Section in IELTS.
  7. Reading Section in IELTS.
  8. Writing Section in IELTS.
  9. Understanding Score Card.
What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Saturday, 29 November 2014

Listening Section in IELTS Exam

As you must be knowing, there are 4 sections in IELTS Test.
  1. Reading.
  2. Writing.
  3. Listening.
  4. Speaking.
In this article, we will get familiar with the Listening Section.

Format of Listening test in IELTS Exam.
In this test, You listen to 4 recorded conversations. The section is same for academic and generic test.
It is 30 minute long test.
The listening test is divided into 4 parts with each part having 10 questions.

  1. Part 1 - Simple discussion 
  2. Part 2 - Abstract Paragraph
  3. Part 3 - Advanced Discussion
  4. Part 4 - Difficult paragraph
Tips for listening section -

  1. Recording is played only once. So you will have to listen very carefully. 
  2. Questions are asked in the same order as you listen.
  3. First 2 recordings are usually simple.
  4. The level of difficulty increases in Part 3 and Part 4.
  5. Do lot of practise of listening to news on BBC or CNN.
You can have a look at sample listening test at below websites.


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Common Questions asked in Speaking section in IELTS exam

Please find below sample questions and answers in IELTS exam's speaking test.

Tell me about yourself as a Person.
My name is XYZ. I live in Pune. My native place is Baramati.

Tell me about your Family.
I stay with my wife here in Pune. My parents live in my village which is 100 KM away from here.
I have 2 elder brothers. The eldest brother is a business man. He runs the water pump shop in Chinchwad. He lives in Ravet which is very close to my place. Middle brother works in Indian Army.
Currently he is posted in Mumbai.

Do you have friends? What do they do and why do you think they are important?
I have a big circle of friends. Most of them are college friends. They are working in software companies in India and Abroad.We also have a whats app Group which helps us stay connected with each other. During college days we had a blast at many times on the occasion of birthdays, gatherings, annual functions. I am really missing those amazing days. Now it is really difficult to get all friends together as all of them living in different cities and countries. Even though we are staying away from each other, we are connected by a lovely bond of friendship.

Tell me about your Likes or Hobbies.
I like writing blogs, watching cricket, watching movies and travelling. I write about technical subjects and my personal experiences about life and travel. I have been a huge fan of Indian Cricket Team. I have been to many tourist places in Maharashtra like Matheran, Mahabaleshwar, Pachgani, Goa, Malvan, Kashid Beach and Mumbai. I also like photography. I own Nikon DSLR D3200 Camera.

Tell me about your Dislikes.
I hate long journeys.

Tell me about your Educational Background.
I studied till HSC in Baramati. I passed out with distinction in SSC and HSC exams. I was good at study as well as sports. Then I moved to Pune for graduation study in computer engineering at D Y Patil COE.

What kind of job/work do you do?
I got hired in the final year of graduation course by XYZ Pvt Ltd. Since then, I have been working in IT industry for more than 7 years now. To be specific, I have been working as an automation tester.

Tell me something about your city or birthplace
My native place is Baramati. Baramati is also an abode of well known politician - Sharad Pawar. Baramati is a small town but well developed due to the efforts of Mr. Sharad Pawar. Town has got good colleges, hospitals. Roads are also in good condition.

Tell me about your typical daily routine.
I get up at around 6 AM in the morning everyday. I do exercise for 15 minutes. Then I go to wash room and take a bath. I take breakfast at around 7 AM. Then I read a news paper with a cup of tea. Then I dress up and get ready to go to office.

Tell me something about building or house you live in.
I stay in a rented house in Chinchwad. I have purchased a new house. But I have not got the possession of the flat yet.

Do you like travelling? if Yes, with whom, where, when and why?
I like travelling much. I have been to Goa.

Do you go to Gym? why?
I do not go to Gym. I do exercise at home only.

How do you take care of your health? Any hospital experience?
I have got a sound body and health. But I suffer from nose infections very often.

Have you attended birth day party or marriage party recently? How was it?
I attended the marriage of my cousin last month. It was held at Satara.

Do you have any good/bad habits? How someone can get rid of bad habit?
I do not have any bad habit.

Do you like watching movies on TV or Theatre? why? What's your favourite program?
I like watching movies in theatre. The atmosphere in theatre is electrifying with many people whistling on the entry of hero or heroine. Screen is also huge which makes the experience memorable one.

Do you read newspaper? which one? why?
I read TOI. It is one of the most circulated newspaper in India. Quality of the paper is better than any other news paper. Content is also good.

Do you like Music? What kind of Music? Why? Which songs do you like?
I like romantic songs and soft music.

What's your favourite Movie/ singer/ Sport Person/ Actor? Why?
DDLJ is my favourite movie. The acting of SRK is awesome in that movie.

Do you like veg food or non-veg food? why? What's your favourite dish?
I like both veg and non-veg food. I like surmai Thali the most.

Do you know cooking? How do you make typical Indian cuisine?
I do not like cooking. It is very time consuming.

What kind of festivals do you celebrate? your favourite festival? Why?
I celebrate Diwali Festival with much enthusiasm.

When do you shop? What items do you buy? When?
I go shopping during festival season. I buy cloths for myself and family. I also purchase some gift items for my relatives.

What kind of clothes do you wear?
I like to wear jeans the most.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

Speaking section in IELTS exam

As you must be knowing, there are 4 sections in IELTS Test.

  1. Reading.
  2. Writing.
  3. Listening.
  4. Speaking.
In this article, we will get familiar with the Speaking Test.

Format of Speaking test in IELTS Test.
In this test, you need to interact with the examiner face to face. Duration of this test is 10 to 15 minutes. Speaking test is divided into 3 parts as described below.
  1. Part 1 - In this part, examiner asks you about yourself, family and friends. He may also ask you about your likes and dislikes, why you want to appear for IELTS Test.
  2. Part 2 - In this part, Examiner asks you to speak about a topic.
  3. Part 3 - In this part, there is a detailed discussion about the topic that you have spoken about in step 2. Examiner may ask you some questions based upon your arguments or statements.
You may find sample speaking tests at below urls.

Now let us get into details about each part.


Part 1 - How to impress the examiner in introduction section.
As I said above, part 1 is also called as introduction part. You are asked to introduce yourself, your family and friends. You can do lot of practise on this part, as there are no surprising questions in this part. You may talk about your educational background, your employer, your hobbies, likes, dislikes. You may talk about your favourite food, sport, sports person etc. Remember that first impression is the last impression. So be excited. Look at examiner when you are speaking. Don't stare at him. Don't let examiner feel that you have mugged up the speech. To know about sample questions that may be asked to you, please follow this link.

Part 2 - Speech on general topic.
In this part, you have to speak on any topic that your examiner gives you.

Part 3 - 2 way discussion the topic you spoke on in part 2.
In this part, you will have 2 way discussion with examiner on the topic you talked on in part 2.


What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

What is IELTS?

What is IELTS?
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is one of the major English language test in the world. Around 2 million people across the world appear for this test.
TOEFL is another such major test to check proficiency in English Language. To visit official website of IELTS, click me.

IELTS is managed by 3 organizations.

  1. Cambridge English Language Assessment.
  2. British Council.
  3. IDP Education.
There are 2 types of IELTS Exam.
  1. Academic - usually taken by students
  2. General - usually taken by skilled professionals.

Why you may need to take IELTS exam?
Good score in IELTS exam is required if you want to do below things.

  1. You want to take higher education in English speaking countries like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
  2. You want to apply for skilled visa in Australia or New Zealand.

What is the IELTS exam pattern or format?
IELTS has four sections.

  1. Reading 
  2. Writing
  3. Listening 
  4. Speaking
Listening and speaking sections are same for academic and general test
You are given score bands in each section from 1 to 9. Band 1 means non-user. Band 9 means super user. Band of 6 means you have a competent English skill. Different institutes need different band levels. For example - Skill based point system for 189 Australian Visa, you need a band score of 7 in each section.


How to register for the IELTS exam?
You can visit the IELTS website to find out the nearest test centre. In Pune (Indian City), there are 2 centres of IELTS. First one is British Council at Ferguson College and other one is IDP education near E-square theatre. Fee for IELTS is different in different country. In India it costs around $160.

What do you think on this topic? Please express your opinion through comment below. You can write to me at reply2sagar@gmail.com

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