IELTS Mock Test 2024 October

Good morning. I’m here today to talk to you about working from home. This is something that some people do full-time, while others, including many office workers, now spend at least some of their working week away from their normal place of work. In fact, some people believe that in the future, the majority of office workers may be based at home.

There are certainly many advantages of working from home. One of the main ones is that it allows employees to have a better work-life balance. This is because it allows people to work more flexible hours. For instance, they can start earlier or finish later if they want to, or they can take a longer break in the middle of the day to do something with their family. This is particularly important for parents with young children.

Another advantage of working from home is that it allows people to avoid the daily commute. This can be a very stressful experience. For example, in some cities, workers spend hours each day travelling to and from their place of work. So, by working from home, they can save a lot of time and money, and avoid the stress of travel.

Another benefit of working from home is that it allows employees to create a comfortable working environment. For instance, they can choose their own chair and desk, and decorate their workspace in a way that suits them. This can make people feel more relaxed and comfortable, and therefore able to concentrate better.

In fact, studies have shown that people are more productive when they work from home. This is partly because they don’t get disturbed by colleagues, which often happens in an office environment. Also, people who work from home tend to take fewer days off sick.

However, there are some disadvantages of working from home. One of the main ones is that people can feel isolated. This is because they don’t have the same social interaction with colleagues that they would have in the office. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. Also, people who work from home can find it difficult to separate their work and home lives. This is because they are in the same place all the time, so it can be hard to switch off from work at the end of the day.

Another disadvantage of working from home is that people can find it difficult to stay motivated. This is because there are often more distractions at home than in the office. For example, people might be tempted to watch TV or do household chores instead of working. This means that people who work from home need to be very self-disciplined.

…………………………….

So, how can people who work from home overcome these challenges? Well, one way is to create a dedicated workspace. This could be a separate room in the house, or just a specific area of a room. It’s important that this space is used only for work, and that it is kept tidy and organised. This can help people to stay focused and motivated.

Another way to overcome the challenges of working from home is to set a routine. This means getting up at the same time each day, and starting and finishing work at the same time. It’s also important to take regular breaks, and to make sure that you have a proper lunch break.

Finally, it’s important to stay in touch with colleagues. This can be done through regular phone calls, video calls, or emails. It’s also a good idea to arrange to meet up with colleagues in person from time to time, if possible.

In conclusion, working from home has both advantages and disadvantages. However, by creating a dedicated workspace, setting a routine, and staying in touch with colleagues, people can overcome the challenges and enjoy the benefits of working from home.

HARRY: So, Andrea, we have to do a short summary of our work experience on a farm.

ANDREA: Right. My work experience was a real eye-opener. I shadowed a vet, and I saw how hard it is to care for sick animals. It was much more demanding than I expected.

HARRY: I had the same experience. I was amazed by the strength of the farm workers. I found it physically demanding, and it was so hard getting up at four in the morning!

ANDREA: Yes, I was always exhausted by the end of the day. And I had no idea how many skills you need on a farm. I thought it was just manual work, but it’s really hard to do well.

HARRY: Yes, because you have to have a lot of technical knowledge, and there’s so much to do on a farm. I’m not sure I’d want to work on a farm.

ANDREA: I think I might. It feels so worthwhile.

HARRY: Well, I wouldn’t want to be a farmer, but I’d like to be a vet. I think that would be really rewarding. Anyway, we’ve got to write about our work experience in the assignment. How many words?

ANDREA: I think it’s 1,500. But I’m not sure how we should structure it. We should ask the tutor in tomorrow’s class.

HARRY: Yes. I’ll email him tonight.

ANDREA: OK. And now we’ve got to prepare for the drama workshop next week. We’ve each got to choose a skill to demonstrate.

HARRY: Yes. Last year, I did something on physical comedy. I think I’ll write a play. I’m interested in the history of the theatre, and I’ve got lots of ideas for a play.

________________________________________________________________________________________

ANDREA: I’m sure you have. I’m going to do mine on using puppets to tell a story.

HARRY: That sounds like fun. I’ve never worked with puppets before.

ANDREA: I have. I’m sure you’d like it. I’ve still got to do a presentation on a video. I’ve got to watch a short film and then give a presentation about it in class.

HARRY: I’ve already done that. I watched a film about a girl who goes back to her home town after her mother dies. She’s been away for ten years, and she’s really changed. She’s a very different person from the girl who left home.

ANDREA: That sounds interesting. I’ve chosen a film about a boy who’s in a wheelchair, and he keeps a diary about his life. He’s a very good writer, and he’s a really interesting character.

HARRY: I’d like to see it. I’ve got to write a report on a play. I’ve already seen the play, but I haven’t written the report yet.

ANDREA: I’ve done that. I’m just finishing a short film I’ve been making with some friends. We’ve been filming for a few weeks now. It’s about a boy who’s in a rock band. He’s a talented singer, but he’s not very good at playing the guitar. He has to practise every day, and it’s really hard work.

HARRY: That sounds interesting. I’ve got to give a presentation on a theatre. I’ve chosen the Globe Theatre in London because I’ve been there a few times. It’s a very famous theatre, and I know a lot about it.

ANDREA: I’ve chosen the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. It’s a very unusual building, and it’s got a lot of history. I’ve been there a few times, and I really like it.

HARRY: I’ve got to design a set for a play. I’m not very good at drawing, but I’ve got a lot of ideas.

Today I’m going to talk about the development of the Australian accent, and to illustrate aspects of this development I’ll use a few lines from the famous poem, The Man from Snowy River, by Banjo Paterson.

The most commonly held view about the Australian accent is that it developed from the mixing of different accents in the early years of the British colony in Australia. The colony was established in 1788 with the arrival of settlers from what is now the south-east of the UK, and the accent was based on the speech of these settlers. Within a generation, this original British accent had started to change, and by the 1820s, visitors to the colony were beginning to notice that native-born white Australians spoke with a different accent.

The most distinctive feature of this new accent was its vowel sounds. One aspect of this was vowel length, which was longer in words like ‘beet’ and ‘bat’ than in the original accent. Another was vowel shift, which meant that some words with a vowel sound like ‘i’ in the original accent had a vowel sound like ‘oi’ in the Australian accent. This was the case with the word ‘time’, for example. The vowel shift also affected the pronunciation of the vowel sound ‘a’. In the original accent, this was pronounced as ‘a’ in words like ‘cat’, but in the new Australian accent, it was pronounced as ‘ai’, in words like ‘buy’, for example.

The Australian accent also had a distinctive intonation pattern. This was based on the intonation pattern used for asking questions in the original accent, where the pitch of the voice rises at the end of the question. In the Australian accent, this pattern was used for statements, too, so that the pitch of the voice rose at the end of a statement, just as it did at the end of a question.

The Australian accent had three main varieties: broad, general, and cultivated. The broad variety was the most distinctive, and was used by working-class speakers. The cultivated variety was closest to British English, and was used by the educated middle classes. The general variety was somewhere between these two, and was the most widely used.

By the 1850s, the broad variety had become associated with Australian national identity. This was partly because it was used by a number of national sporting heroes, and also because it was used in the lyrics of popular songs and bush ballads, like The Man from Snowy River. These ballads were recited at campfires and inns throughout Australia, and they helped to promote the broad variety of the Australian accent as a symbol of national identity.

In the 1890s, a number of Australian writers began to promote the broad variety of the accent as a symbol of national identity, too. They believed that the Australian accent was a reflection of the democratic principles on which the Australian nation was based. In their view, it was a social leveler, which helped to unite Australians by giving them all the same voice.

The broad variety of the Australian accent was also used in a number of films in the early 20th century. These films were very popular, and they helped to establish the broad variety of the accent as a symbol of national identity, both within Australia and overseas.

By the mid-20th century, the general variety of the Australian accent had become the most widely used variety, but the broad variety was still used in films, and by national sporting heroes. It was also used in the lyrics of popular songs, and by Australian prime ministers, all of whom helped to promote it as a symbol of national identity.