Tuesday 22 September 2015

PTE Speaking - Check Pronunciation of words


The increasing number of pageviews has motivated me to write more on PTE academic test :-)

I have noticed that in 'Read Aloud' section, there are some repetitive words for which pronunciation is different for different people. Please check at the cambridge dictionary how to pronounce these words correctly.
 eg: of -  /əv/  /ɒv/  
       off - /ɒf/  /ɑːf/

Vary
Very
Analyse
Government 
Technology 
Technological
World
Depth
Situation
Determine
Explosive
Global
Competitive
Important
Thesis
Ace
Persuasiveness
Arguments
Predilection
Devastation
International
Significant
Centuries
Years
Evolved
Eventually
Colony
Recognized
Ingredients
Coasters
Power
Versatility
Durability
Mosaic
Magnificient
Acerbic
Curators
Philanthropists
Financial
Economy
Economical
Finance
Development
Environment
Contemplation
Journey
Disguise
Elites
Myths
Consumerism
Organization
Thresholds
Disaster
Analysis
clothes
escape
February
hierarchy
prescription
yolk
accessory
way
arctic
asterisk
athlete
cache
cavalry
chaos
jewelry
niche
picture
wintry
year
innovative
busy
guilty
build
business
paper
rich
reach
hill
heal
anxiety
infinite
theory
theoretically
wander
wonder
monarchy
laboratory
heart
eyes
ice
biology
biological
psychology
geography
loose
lose
accept
except

I keep updating this list..

Saturday 19 September 2015

Essay - Education a biggest barrier in learning

Education is the biggest barrier in my learning - Einstein. What do you mean by this? And do you think Einstein was correct in saying that.

            Education is an effort of the senior people to transfer their knowledge to the younger members of society. In traditional education system, the educational system was too small and the content of education was related to religion, philosophy, metaphysics and scriptural subjects. This is the reason why Einstein considered education to be the biggest barrier in his learning. This essay will analyze both sides of the argument.
            According to Einstein, students learn through a formally designed education pattern restricting their thought process. Also, there are some rigid rules like age of admission, content and duration of course, procedures of examination, selection of elective subject, etc. which are designed by government or designated agency such as school. The students are taught and given the answers to the questions and these questions come in the examination to test their retention power. Thus, students are not encouraged to think out of the box and search for solution themselves. They all are expected to provide the same answer which is in books. This example shows why Einstein believed that formal education hinders the process of learning.
             However, in my opinion, education in schools is important for children as it provides disciplined environment, proper guidance from teacher, extracurricular activities to develop basic skills like reading and writing. In addition, modern day education is aided with a variety of technology, computers, projectors, internet, and many more. There is much to learn and more to assimilate. For instance, internet provides vast knowledge and students should be allowed to search the answers to their problems themselves. This will help them in coming up with different solutions and succeeding in life. Thus, we can say that education plays a vital role in the initial learning phase of educands.
             Looking at both sides of the argument, we conclude that the current education system is the building block of learning through proper teacher’s guidance and using new technology such as internet.

Friday 18 September 2015

Essay - Value added by travel in Education

Value added by travel in Education. Is travel a necessary component of education or not ? Will scholar sitting at home have more knowledge.
                                                                  OR
Travel to study is over rated, we have brilliant scholars who studied locally. Is travel really required for higher studies?

                The development of society is going towards a globalised world where education is an essential foundation for personal, social and economic success. International studies are becoming a new trend for young people as a way to expand their education beyond their traditional education style. It is agreed that adding a foreign qualification has become an integral part of higher studies. This argument is proven by looking at how it widens people’s perspective and helps them with better career opportunities.
               Studying abroad helps people increase their awareness about different cultures of the world. This will contribute in creating individuals with a broader understanding of issues concerning today’s society rather than limiting them in a scope of home education system. For example, universities have a large community of students both from the local area and all around the globe. The diverse academic community enhances the quality of learning by providing wider spectrum of opinions and expertise. This example clearly shows that international education enhances outlook and sharpens self-awareness. Therefore, we can say that traveling is an important element of education.
               Moreover, acquiring a globally recognized qualification or degree opens the doors for international job market. The students gain more knowledge and expertise when abroad and apply them to situations requiring international interactions. Also, employers look for the graduates with international experience either by studying or working abroad. Thus, we can say that international studies add value to a student’s education.
                In summary, it can be said that travelling to foreign countries for higher studies is a key to succeed in this globalised planet.

Essay - English will remain a global Language

I won't be writing the full essay here but giving the supporting points. Though I will write the essay later, please form the structure of essay yourself in the meantime.

Do you think English will remain to be a global language despite globalisation?

There are so many benefits of learning English and they can be found in many sides such as in international business community, technology field, education, and in the social life.
  • In international business environment, English holds an important role to make the business goes well. English is very useful when company build cooperation with another international company from different country. To become the winner of the hard competition in business world, businessman must be able to understand and use English well. Besides that, a company prefers to hire an employee who has a good skill in language, especially English. However, by understanding English will improve the prospect for employment in business environment and help the businessman able to handle the business problem efficiently 
  • English takes a large part in the growth of technology. Almost every electronic devices use English especially computing and internet. That is because most of scientists write in English although some of them use English as their second language. English is not only use in the hardware but it is used in the software also. Every command in the computer is in English and to operate it people should understand English first. In the internet, there is a lot of information written in English such as e-mail, blog, and social network. It shows that learning English gives many benefits to the advance of technology. 
  • In education, the international student should have capability to speak, read, and write in English. A student can access any information in the books, internet, and magazine with the help of English. Successful academic career depend on how deep the understanding of student in English because in international standard education English is the primary language which used in learning process. Besides that, if the students know English well, they also will be able to read and understand the great work in literature that related with their study which written in English. In this case, English can be assuming as the root of the international education. 
  • As a social creature, people will continuously interact with the other in various social lives. In this case English become unifier of the difference in language. People will be easier to express their idea about something or exchange information in English to the other people from different country. English is the tool for digging information deeper and deeper again to know what actually happen in the world. If people have a good capability to speak in English, it will be widening their knowledge because they will be able to understand more information than those who are not good in English

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Essay - Law changes human behaviour

Some people believe laws change human behaviour. Do you agree with it?

Everyone knows that laws are the rules laid by the government on the citizens of their respective country.  It helps in smooth functioning of the nation by governing the behaviour of people. It is disagreed that laws can change behaviour of a person. It can only assist in creating a disciplined environment for the society and controlling the crime to some extend but not eliminating it.
                Firstly, imposing laws has created a sense of fear among people of getting punished. For instance, damaging the historical monuments, books, paintings, sculptures or other form of art is considered a crime and is punishable under vandalism law. This example shows that a person with moral responsibility will take care of other’s assets but a person who is not worried about the consequences will deface them. Thus, we can say that human’s action can be regulated by laws but cannot be changed completely.
In addition, in our day to day life, we follow rules without even realizing them. Traffic law is an example of this. Today, most of us follow the traffic signals out of habit. We stop at a red light, start an indicator before a turn and wear seat belt when we are on road. Thus, we can say that laws embed some changes in human behaviour to some extent. However, we are still facing road-accidents which clearly show that rules and regulations have controlled the behaviour of mankind without altering them completely.
In conclusion, we can say that rules and regulations can help in controlling the behaviour that is dangerous.  Laws not only help in checking the reckless nature of people but are necessary for the development of society.

Essay - War of Ideas

In a war of ideas, it is people who get killed”. Does a common man suffer from a group’s ideology? Express your opinion, and support the same with reasons and examples.

                Throughout history, the thinking of a group of people is impacting the lives of thousands of civilians. Whether it is considered on a political or social level, a set of decisions of a group explains how a society should work.  It is completely agreed that in the conflict of interest between different countries or different groups within same country, it is the innocent people who sacrifice their lives. It can be seen from the incidents of World War II and September 11 attacks in United States of America.
                 First of all, during World War II, a group of countries namely US, UK and China united and attacked Japan with explosive atomic bombs destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than one lakh civilians. This is a clear example of the decision laid by a few countries against Japan to surrender to its Allies. Though, these countries achieved victory in their mission but Japanese people are still suffering from the radioactive radiation effect which resulted in blindness and mental disorders. Thus, we can say that political ideologies of a group can drastically harm society.
                In addition, September 11 attacks on US by a group of 19 militants, associated with Islamic extremist group, hijacked four airplanes and killed around 3,000 people by colliding airplanes into symbolic US landmark. This example clearly shows how the decision and planning of these terrorist activists took lives of thousands of innocent people.
                Looking at the above examples, we can say that it is common man who is suffering from the social, economical and political interests of a few people.  It is hoped that in future, the major decisions concerning every citizen or the civilians of another country, would be taken considering its consequences.


Essay - Extreme sports

Pros and Cons of extreme/adventure sports.
                                               OR
Dangerous activities like extreme skiing, bungee jumping etc. and whether u support them or not.

               The popularity of extreme sports has continued to grow over the last decade. These activities are undertaken at high speed, high altitude, and high degree of physical exertion. It is agreed that no amount of words are adequate to convey the thrill of skiing, deep sea diving, bungee jumping, water rafting or any other adventure sport. This argument can be proven by looking at how these kinds of sports teach self-reliance, teamwork and let everyone leave their comfort zone.
                Firstly, the risk-taking sports help in development of self confidence and independence. For instance, by successfully facing up the challenge of adventurous sports like rock-climbing, young people overcome their fears and apprehensions along the way and develop a feeling of unusual accomplishment (achievement). This makes it clear that climbing mountain, instead of an indoor game, helps in developing the balance, using more muscle groups, and taking on a journey in an uncontrolled environment that stimulates brain with countless variables. Thus, achieving your goals in an unpredictable weather, recognizing the thrill of beating storm and making it back home safely result in enhancement of overall personality of an adventurous person.
                Moreover, many people are reluctant to try new things like mountain biking, scuba diving, white river rafting, para-gliding etc., thinking that they do not possess the skills or have an ability to enjoy it. Encouraging people to try new activities results in building up team spirit, promoting positive attitude and making them come out of their comfort zone. Thus, we can say that by trying out dangerous sports, one can get rid-off the negative feeling and develop a feeling of working as a team.
                Looking at the above, we can say that adventure sports have many impressive benefits including problem solving, improved communication skills, self-confidence and team work. However, it is recommended that these sports should be tried under proper guidance and supervision of a guard.

Against
               While every sport has a danger, extreme sports athletes are at a high risk of serious injuries. For example, back-country snowboarders are known for riding on an unpredictable terrain where avalanches are common. Since these off-piste riders do not ride on a groomed slope, hazards such as large boulders and fallen trees can be easily hidden under large deposits of newly fallen snow. As can be seen from this example, even a smallest misstep can plummet big wave surfers more than 30 feet below the breaking ocean waves. Thus, we can say that adventurous people are prepared to gamble their safety in search of adrenaline rush.  

Essay - The best invention of last 100 years

 What is the best invention of last 100 years, computer, antibiotics, airplane, and explain why.
                                                                OR
In the past 100 years, there are many inventions such as antibiotics, airplanes and computers. What do you think is the most important invent for the past 100 years? Why?

                 It is evident that science and modern inventions have revolutionized the world and is a blessing to mankind. With the advent of  computers, antibiotics and airplane, humans have progressed in all spheres of life.  In my opinion, computers seem to be the greatest inventions of all times. This could be clearly seen by looking at its multitasking capabilities, ability to store information and utility in almost all fields.
                First of all, computers can do numerous mathematical calculations with incredible speed and pin point accuracy. For example, a person can simultaneously execute more than one task, thereby increasing the productivity and reducing the human errors. This makes it clear how the human involvement is minimized by just supplying data to the computer for evaluations and getting results in fraction of seconds. Thus, I can say that computer is one of the most outstanding innovations of the last century.
                Secondly, computers can store large amounts of information and a user can retrieve it later for further processing. For instance, trend analysis and forecasting in a company are done by referring to historical data. These examples illustrate the usefulness of computers for measuring the success of a company.  It is obvious from this that the computers  have contributed significantly to the world’s economy.
                Finally, there are many uses of computer in different fields of work. Engineers, architects, jewels, and film-makers all use computers to design things. Teachers, writers, and most office workers use computers for research, word processing and emailing. Small businesses can use computers as a point of sale and for general record keeping.
                In conclusion, we can say that computers are the top innovations of all times considering high speed processing at a time, high storage facility and presence in almost every field. It is hoped that new software’s and hardware’s will keep on making the computer better as life without computer seems to be like a rose without petal.

Thursday 20 August 2015

PTE Academic Essay Topics

1.  Do you think consumer should avoid over packed products or it is responsibility of producer to avoid extra packaging of products?" Give your views or any relevant example with your own experience.
2.  Many people think regions affect successful persons. What is your opinion about native regions and accomplished person influence on the regions they belong to
3.  The environment we are living in is in danger due to various problems...so who do u think should be responsible to solve it? Is it the governments, organisation or each individuals?
4.  Nowadays TV has become an essential part of life. Medium to spread news & awareness and for some it acts like a companion. What is your opinion about this?
5.  Company Top level Authorities should or should not take employees suggestions or ideas to take any decisions. Discuss
6.  Successful sports stars and glamorous film stars are a role model for youngsters. Do u support it or not? (Agree/Disagree)
7.  In education system, assessment through written formal examinations is valid or not.
8.  Large shopping malls are replacing small shops. What is your opinion about this? Discuss with appropriate examples.
9.  Talk about the pros/ cons of this era as is full of daily inventions
10.  Any New Technological Development In The Recent Years Is A Boon Or Curse For The Society In General
11.  In the past 100 years, there are many inventions such as antibiotics, airplanes and computers. What do you think is the most important invent for the past 100 years? Why?
12.  It is argue that getting married before finishing school or getting a job is not a good choice. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
13.  Parents should be held legally responsible for their children’s acts. What is your opinion? Support it with personal examples....
14.  Marketing strategy for big companies should be placed on offer and discounts, and in what ways this can impact on their reputation.
15.  Dangerous activities like extreme skiing, bungee jumping etc. and whether u support them or not
16.  In a war of ideas, it is people who get killed”. Does a common man suffer from a group’s ideology? Express your opinion, and support the same with reasons and examples.
17.  Some people believe laws change human behaviour. Do you agree with it?
18.  Illiterate of the future would not be one who does not know to read, but people who does not know how to learn, unlearn and relearn
19.  Communication has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Discuss the positive and negative impacts of this change.
20.  Learning a new language at an early age is helpful for children. Is it more positive for their future aspect or have some adverse effects. Do u agree or disagree? Give examples from your experience.
21.  In under developed countries, tourism has disadvantages and can be said the opposite as well.
22.  Positive and negative effects of the information revolution through mass media.
23.  Education is the biggest barrier in my learning - Einstein. What do you mean by this? And do you think Einstein was correct in saying that.
24.  Discuss both sides of Space travel vs. current crucial problems faced by human?
25.  Do you think English will remain to be a global language despite globalisation?
26.  Some people think placing advertisements in schools is a great resource for public schools that need additional funding, but others think it exploits children by treating them as a captive audience for corporate sponsors. Choose which position you most agree with and discuss why you chose that position. Support your point of view with details from your own experiences, observations or reading.
27.  You are given climate as the field of study. Which area will you prefer? Explain why you picked up the particular area for your study?
28.  Value added by travel in Education Is travel a necessary component of education or not ? Will scholar sitting at home have more knowledge than one who travels ?
"29.  In some countries around the world, voting is compulsory.
Do you agree with the notion of compulsory voting?
If Voting is compulsory in democratic society, what conclusions can we draw about ‘Nature of democracy?"
30.  Nowadays, people spend too much time at work to the extent that they hardly have time for their personal life. Discuss.
31. Is it true that conformity almost always leads to a deadening of individual creativity and energy? Is non-conformity almost always to be welcomed?
32. It is as important for school children to study music, art and sport as it is for them to become literate and numerate.' How far do you agree with this statement? Support your point of view with reasons and / or examples from your own experience

Thursday 13 August 2015

How to Score Well in Speaking - PTE Academic

Speaking section consists of :

1. Read Aloud - In this, you need to follow proper intonation, pronunciation, oral fluency.

Scores impacted : Reading and speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation, content

Useful Links : http://www.manythings.org/listen/

You can use 'Windows Speech Recognition' in your system to convert speech to text.

Set up Speech Recognition - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/set-speech-recognition#1TC=windows-7

You can also use google translator or web speech API
https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/demos/speech.html

2. Repeat sentence : Try to write the initial letter of all the words in the sentence and try to follow same pronunciation while repeating it.

Useful Links :
http://www.manythings.org/lar/
http://englishteststore.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13634&Itemid=40

3. Re-tell lecture : Listen to the lecture and write keywords in between. Don't try to write full sentences otherwise you will lose concentration. Try to hear conclusion at the end as well.


4. Describe Image : If you see a picture, try to describe it using foreground, background, left, right, centre or middle, top, bottom words.


If you see trends in Bar graph, Line graph, Pie chart, etc., use variety of verbs, adjectives, adverbs to explain them. It can be build watching youtube videos.

Useful link: http://www.dcielts.com/task-1-2/compare-and-contrast

List with phrases to describe charts
The pie chart is about ...
The bar chart deals with ...
The line graph (clearly) shows ...
The slices of the pie chart compare the ...
The chart is divided into ... parts.
It highlights ...
... has the largest (number of) ...
... has the second largest (number of) ...
... is as big as ...
... is twice as big as ...
... is bigger than ...
more than ... per cent ...
only one third ...
less than half ...
The number ... increases/goes up/grows by ...
The number ... decreases/goes down/sinks by ...
The number ... does not change/remains stable
I was really surprised/shocked by the ...
So we can say ...

Pie Chart description
60% nearly a third
50% Over a half of all respondents
2% a small fraction
exact 30% of students
24% roughly a quarter of respondents
73% around three quarters of sales
Comparison
twice as many people prefer 
nearly four times as many people
whereas sales for X were just 10 %
Summarising
Overall amonst the six regions, ___make up  the largest expenses, followed by ___representing the lowest
To summarise the most marked change is  
Overall it is clear the amount of 

Useful link to improve pronunciation:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/3974305/British-Accent-Module

http://www.elementalenglish.com/category/2b-pronunciation/

http://reallifeglobal.com/intonation-the-secret-ingredient-to-great-pronunciation-with-audio/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzkzA77RMzg&list=PLD6t6ckHsrubLp8Ia8duzu5fN4riM2-Bl

Please leave comments if you like it. This will encourage me to publish more information which I collect from my preparation :-)

Wednesday 12 August 2015

PTE Basic Preparation

PTE Basic Preparation

As we all know that PTE academic exam is an online exam with almost instant results in 5 business days. This test consists of Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening.

A good thing about this test is that you can easily get to know the weak area in which you need to focus to get better results.

Once you give exam for the first time, you get to know about your oral fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, etc. This helps in preparing for the exam second time, if you are not a native speaker.

Spend time preparing on items which are more in number.

Total items which come under each category:
Speaking items
Read aloud- 7
Repeat sentence- 12
Describe image- 7
Re-tell lecture- 3
Answer short question- 11
----------
Writing items
Summarize written text- 2 or 3
The summary should be of single sentence with no more than 30 words.
Write essay- 1

Essay topics in another post
I have also added essays which I wrote. Please do correct me if you feel there is an error. Your comments are welcomed.
-----
Reading items
Multiple-choice, choose single answer- 2
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers- 2
Re-order paragraphs- 2
Refer link: http://www.gr8ambitionz.com/2013/06/tips-for-sentence-rearrangement.html

Reading: Fill in the blanks- 4
Reading & writing: Fill in the  blanks- 6

Refer to www.manythings.org website for read aloud practice
All the other reading sections are easy to do. Let me know if anyone wants help in understanding this section.
---
Listening items
Summarize spoken text - 3
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers - 2
Fill in the blanks- 2
Highlight correct summary- 2
Multiple-choice, choose single answer- 2
Select missing word- 3
Highlight incorrect words- 3
Write from dictation- 3

Refer to BBC learning English 6 minute audio recordings for listening and improving your skills.

Here's the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/index.shtml
http://englishteststore.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsxs/episodes/downloads

Please leave comments if you like the details or want me to add any information which will help in preparation for others :-)