Every applicant who takes the IELTS exam wishes they will get familiar or even the same questions that they practised using the official preparation resources in order to do well on it. The question now is whether similar questions will appear in the examination.
There is a good chance that the IELTS questions may be repeated. The repetition chances are higher for questions asked in the writing and speaking modules compared to listening and reading modules.
Let us go through the possibility of recurrence in questions for each module of the IELTS exam, as well as some recommendations for preparing effectively while keeping these question items with a potential of repetition in mind.
Do the listening and reading questions repeat for IELTS exams?
The chances of obtaining an identical question to the one you solved out are exceedingly low in the listening and reading modules. However, the type of questions will always be the same as the ones you encounter while you practise.
The first section of the listening module will always be a discussion between two individuals over the phone, with the content and setting varying. The question format will be the same for the following three modules. Would you like more information about the IELTS listening module? Visit our blog.
The questions you receive for the reading part will also be quite similar to the ones you practiced. The likelihood of receiving an out and correct version of the passage you worked out would be quite slim. However, you could notice a matching vocabulary in your readings. Therefore, it’s best to research unfamiliar terms’ definitions.
Do the writing questions repeat in IELTS?
It is more likely than not that you will receive a writing task with a comparable but not identical topic. The only way to get the most recent IELTS essay, report, or letter question is to trust the testimony of a test taker. Numerous websites update the most recent questions in this way. Another option is to use the official Cambridge IELTS study guides.
The possibility of getting a similar topic based question for the Writing Task 2 has more chances. For instance, you may receive a question on traffic like:
- Traffic issues can be dealt with by increasing petrol prices. Do you agree or disagree?
You could also get the same topic question in another format like:
- Traffic is increasing day by day. What do you think are the causes of it? Suggest some solutions for this problem.
Thus, having a thorough understanding of the frequently asked topics can assist you in more easily formulating notions and arguments to write for the essay.
What are common topics for IELTS essays?
The IELTS essay questions include a wide range of topics. The following are the most often discussed core essay subjects and subtopics:
| Health 1. Prevention and cure 2. Funding 3. Hospital and treatments 4. Obesity 5. Health and education | Food 1. Eating habits 2. Diet Education 3. Fast food 4. Children and eating habits 5. Traditional vs modern diets | Family 1. Family roles 2. Family size 3. Generation gap 4. Discipline 5. Role models |
| Language 1. Single universal language advocacy 2. Language learning 3. Travel and language 4. Disappearance of some languages 5. Language and culture | Media and Advertising 1. Advertising methods 2. Censorship 3. Children and advertising 4. Media and technology 5. News and News and reporting | Technology 1. Social media influence 2. Children and technology 3. Letter vs email 4. Safety of personal information 5. Hacking |
| Society 1. Overpopulation 2. Poverty 3. Homeless people 4. Street crimes 5. Public services 6. Budget spending | Work 1. Shift pattern 2. Women at work 3. Types of jobs 4. Child labour 5. Part-time work 6. Salary 7. Equality at work/pay 8. Work and technology | Education 1. Children and education 2. Same sex schooling 3. Uniforms 4. Funding 5. Educational aids 6. Relevant subjects 7. Education and technology |
| Art 1. Art at school 2. Importance of art learning 3. Censorship of art 4. Benefits to individuals and society 5. Creativity | Crime 1. Prison vs education for dealing crimes 2. Major vs minor crime punishments 3. Crime and technology 4. Role of policemen 5. Equality in law enforcement | Environment 1. Animal protection 2. Zoos 3. Global warming 4. Pollution causes and solutions. 5. Government vs individuals role plastic |
It will be incredibly beneficial if a candidate has adequate knowledge about these topics to create an engaging answer during the examination. Furthermore, having a good understanding of the question topics might help a candidate construct ideas faster for the essay, allowing them to finish their answer within the time limit.
Is it useful to memorise repeated essay questions?
It is not advisable to memorise the answers to essay questions. Many students have the mistaken assumption that rote learning repeated essay questions would result in high scores. This is a common misperception since, even if the topic is repeated, the question will have a distinct ending. For example, in some questions, you may be required to explain both sides and offer your opinion, but others may require you to list the benefits and drawbacks of the given topic..
Additionally, every qualified examiner is taught to spot scripted and memorised answers. Remember that they can instantly detect whether you employ a byhearted sentence or paragraph structure in your natural writing and can readily comprehend the flow of organically sounding English language that you utilise for your essay.
This is because there will always be a difference in tone, vocabulary, and presentation of ideas when you write in your original language and if you write something that has been byhearted. This distinction will be obvious to an experienced examiner, resulting in you receiving a lower band score.
Do the IELTS Task 1 questions repeat?
The potential of obtaining a related sort of question, but never the same question, exists for IELTS writing task one as well.The probability of getting the same question that you practised is close to impossible.
During Academic IELTS writing task one, you will be asked to analyse a graph, map, or process diagram, and for the exam, you will be given any of these three types of questions. In the General IELTS, you must write a formal, semi-formal, or informal letter in response to a specified scenario.You will get any of the letter types that you practiced, such as an invitation, apology, complaint letter, and so on; however, the data for Academic writing and the question content for General writing will always be updated.
Do speaking questions repeat in IELTS?
Speaking is one segment where questions are likely to be repeated. This is due to the limited range of personal questions that may be asked in a test such as IELTS. So, if you refer to and study a multitude of prior questions, it is very likely that you will be asked a similar question during the exam.
Parts one and three of the test require candidates to respond mostly by expressing their own views or likes and dislikes. The themes for parts one and three of the speaking exam are rather limited, and if a candidate is willing to devote only 15 minutes each day, they will be able to cover the majority of the common part one and three questions in a month.
The most commonly asked Part One and Part Three speaking topics are:
| Work | Study | Friends | Books and movies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time management | Concentration | Clothing and fashion | Daily routines |
| Food and cooking | Travel, tourism and holidays | Hobbies and leisure | Weather and seasons |
| Technology | Architecture and buildings | Money | Sports |
| Shopping | Environment | Home and accommodation | Hometown. Towns and cities |
| People and relationships | Communication | Photographs | Animals and pets |
Do same cue card questions repeat for IELTS ?
The likelihood of getting a cue card question that is identical to the one you have studied or practised is fairly high. But bear in mind to refer to all of the cue cards that were asked in the actual test during the previous six months; chances are, you will get a question from one of them.
Cue card is the second part of the Speaking module, where you will be given a personal experience/like/dislike/interest question and will be asked to speak for two minutes. There are various websites that provide the most recent cue card questions as well as prediction cue card questions. Examword is one such highly useful website that offers a large number of cue card questions as well as answer tips.
Is it useful to by heart answers for repeated cue card questions?
To some extent, rote learning the cue card responses may aid you because many related scenario subjects may reoccur. However, memorising responses is difficult because there are roughly 80+ generally asked cue cards. So, rather than memorising the entire thing, it is advisable to acquire topic-related vocabulary and create an ordering of the ideas you want to present in your answer.
Furthermore, you would be prone to forgetting information that you have just mugged up. This will be a key issue when it comes to cue cards, because you only have 2 minutes to talk on a topic of the examiner’s choice, and you must also address responses to all of the sub-questions that come with the cue card.
So, if you speak it by heart then forget halfway through, you will stutter, panic and it will be nearly hard to finish with the same fluency. Thus, when practicing, put down a sample answer of what you intend to say, then set the two-minute timer and talk in your own words.You may also record and listen to your response, which can help you recognise your shortcomings and make necessary improvements.
Do you want to go at a list of previous and predicted cue cards? Check out this link
You can also classify the cue cards to sort the ones where you can use similar kinds of vocabulary or content. For instance,
- Talk about a funny incident that took place in your life.
You should say:
⮞ What was this incident about?
⮞ When and where did it take place?
⮞ How did you feel about it?
Now let’s look at another cue card question:
- Talk about an occasion when you laughed and enjoyed a lot.
You should say:
⮞ What was this occasion?
⮞ When and where did this take place?
⮞ Describe why you were happy?
⮞ Explain how you felt afterwards?
You may have seen that a similar response may be given for both of these cue cards. As a result, grouping cue cards is a sensible, time-saving technique for enhancing your speaking skills.
Conclusion
For the IELTS exam, it is likely to receive repeated questions. However, relying only on it would be a simplistic approach because it is only a likelihood, and you may never receive even a similar question that you learned or practised for. So, the best way to attain your needed band is to practise a range of questions while simultaneously having your answers reviewed for errors and learning strategies to correct them.
