IELTS Vocabulary - STREET MARKETS

Some vocabulary to discuss street markets.

VOCABULARY	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
BARGAIN	something bought for less than the usual price	Goods can usually be bought at bargain prices in street markets.
BRIC-A-BRAC	small decorative objects of various types and of no great value	In some street markets you will find stalls that are full of bric-a-brac, the famous open street market being Portobello Road Market in London.
CUT-PRICE	describes something that costs less than its usual price	In street markets you can always find good quality cut-price clothing.
HUSTLE AND BUSTLE	noise and activity	I love the hustle and bustle of the street markets in Istanbul, especially the big open market on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
HAGGLE	argue with somebody in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of something	In Turkey, it is traditional to haggle over the price of everything in markets.

Press release for IELTS takers in Turkey

Important IELTS announcement

We wanted to contact all organisations that accept IELTS results in Turkey, to let you know that we continue to operate successfully in Turkey. We would be pleased to address any concerns you may have arising as the result of recent negative media stories, and or anything else you may wish to discuss.

Today the IELTS partners released a media statement to the press in Turkey and have placed local online advertising also publicising this notice.

Read the media release in Turkish, below.
 
IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) is the world’s most trusted test of English language skills for study and migration. Developed over 20 years ago, it has proven credentials for consistently assessing proficiency in listening, reading, writing and speaking.

IELTS is relied upon for professional purposes in Turkey and around the world

IELTS test scores are a reliable indicator of a person’s ability to communicate in English. As the level of English needed to study, work or train effectively varies from one situation to another, each individual organisation is able to set their own minimum IELTS score, depending on their own specific requirements.

In Turkey, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) remains a secure and reliable test that is widely recognised. It provides a fair, accurate and relevant assessment of language skills based on well-established standards and covers the full range of ability, from beginner through to a very high level of proficiency.

Validity and security have always been top priorities for the IELTS partners, who directly administer all IELTS tests in Turkey. Multi-layered mechanisms and controls are embedded within IELTS test operations to mitigate risk of security breaches and to ensure that genuine test results are secure and that fake or falsified results are systematically identified.

An IELTS Partner Spokesperson said: 
“IELTS remains valid and is still recognised for all non YDS purposes including entry to undergraduate courses and for workplace opportunities. We are working towards IELTS inclusion in future revisions of the YDS equivalency table to ensure even more people have the opportunity to take IELTS in Turkey.

Fair and consistent delivery of the test is ensured by secure technology and the continual monitoring of examiners and test results as well as test centre management and facilities.”

In addition to being recognised by more governments around the world than any other high-stakes English language test, IELTS is relied upon by more than 9000 organisations for professional, employment and educational purposes. Recognising organisations can use the IELTS Results Verification service as a quick and secure way to verify candidate results online. www.ielts.org/verify

In the last year, two million tests were taken around the world. This growth in test numbers reflects the strong growth in the number of organizations turning to IELTS to meet their needs for language proficiency assessment.

For more information please contact:
Seval Sir
Operations Manager
IDP Education Pty Ltd.,
Inonu Caddesi Teknik Han No:38 / 1
Gumussuyu Taksim Istanbul TURKEY

Phone: + 90 537 915 3450
Email: seval.sir@idp.com  

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Basın Duyurusu

Mart 2014

Türkiye’de IELTS ve YDS Eşdeğerliliği: basın duyurusu

Uluslararası İngilizce Seviye Belirleme Sınav Sistemi IELTS, Türkiye’de pek çok kurum ve kuruluş tarafından yaygın biçimde kabul görmeye devam etmekte ve güvenilirliğini sürdürmektedir. IELTS, adayların dil becerilerini, köklü standartlara ve başlangıçtan ileri yeterlilik düzeyine kadar tüm seviyeleri kapsayan adil, hatasız ve amaca uygun sınavlara dayanarak ölçmektedir.

Konuyla ilgili olarak, IELTS Ortakları’nın Sözcüsü tarafından aşağıdaki açıklama yapılmıştır:
“IELTS Türkiye’de YDS haricinde diğer tüm alanlarda hala geçerlidir; lisans düzeyinde pek çok üniversitede ve iş dünyasındaki sayısız kurumda kabul görmeye devam etmektedir. Türkiye’de daha çok kişinin, bu sınavın tanıdığı olanaklardan faydalanması amacıyla IELTS’in YDS eşdeğerlik tablosunda yeniden yer almasına yönelik çalışmalarımız da ayrıca sürmektedir.

Türkiye’deki tüm IELTS sınavlarını doğrudan uygulayan IELTS ortakları için güvenilirlik ve geçerlilik, her zaman en öncelikli başlıklar olagelmiştir. Sınavların adil ve istikrarlı şekilde yapılmasını temin etmek amacıyla güncel güvenlik teknolojileri kullanılmakta, sınav uygulayıcıları ve sınav sonuçlarının yanısıra sınav merkezlerindeki hizmetler ve bu merkezlerin yönetimleri aralıksız olarak denetlenmektedir.”

Dünya çapında 9.000’den fazla kuruluş, IELTS sınavının sonuçlarına güvenmekte ve adayların sonuçlarını www.ielts.org/verify adresinden hızlı ve garantili şekilde teyit etmeye imkan veren IELTS Sonuç Doğrulama hizmetinden yararlanmaktadır.
 

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IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Which cities in Turkey can I take the IELTS exam?

Additional cities were you take the IELTS Exam in Turkey in 2014.  Cities include Elaziğ, Sivas, Çannakale and Erzincan.

IELTS test dates in various cities in Turkey

IELTS has opened more IELTS testing centres around Turkey for 2014.  See the schedule below for cities close to you with dates and for Academic or General Training IELTS.

IDIOMS

Just a few idioms for you to use in the speaking section of the IELTS examination, of course if the topic is appropriate.

VOCABULARY	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
Cool as a cucumber	someone is very calm, especially when in a difficult or frustrating situation	Selin (our programme co-coordinator) was as cool as a cucumber last Saturday when the phones didn't stop ringing and there were hundreds of people asking the same questions over and over again.
To come down with something	to start to become ill with a disease that is not serious such as the flu or a cold	I feel a lot better now after I came down with the flu last week.
Burn off	to get rid of extra energy or fat by doing physical exercise	I ate and drank too much over the New Year's holiday, so now I have to get to the gym and burn off the extra fat.
Sleep in	to sleep till later in the morning than you normally do	I love sleeping in on Sundays, waking up around 11 am.
To be partied out	you have had enough of parties because you went to many in a very short time	After two weeks of different parties; birthdays, engagements and weddings I feel totally partied out!

VOCABULARY related to Christmas

As we are approaching the holiday season we thought the topic should be something to do with Christmas. Have a great Christmas holiday wherever you are in the world.  

Let 2014 bring peace, health and happiness to you, your families and the world.

The Istanbul IELTS Team

VOCABULARY	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
DONATION	money or goods that are given to help a person or organization, or the act of giving them	On special occasions such as Christmas and Eid people tend to be generous and give gifts or food to neighbours, friends and the poor.
EVE	the period or day before an important event	24 December, the day before Christmas Day / the last day of the year 31 December.
GATHER	a party or a meeting when many people come together as a group	On Christmas Day in many countries around the world, families and relatives gather together to enjoy and celebrate Christmas together.
TRADITIONAL	a belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society have      continued to follow for a long time	A traditional Christmas dinner especially in the UK is usually a turkey, with cranberries and roast potatoes followed by a Christmas pudding.
RESOLUTIONS	a promise to yourself to do or to not do something	Every year I make a resolution that I will lead a healthier lifestyle and start going to the gym. For 2014, one of my resolutions is that I am definitely going to start looking after myself.

Christmas is celebrated by billions of people around the world by Christians and non-Christians.  People start getting ready for their Christmas holidays on Christmas EVE (24^th December) when families and friends start GATHERING in anticipation of Christmas Day. The TRADITIONAL food on Christmas Day is turkey with lots of side dishes and followed by Christmas pudding.  The followıng day, on Boxing Day (26^th December) people and especially the Church make DONATIONS to those who need it the most.   Then on New Year’s EVE    (31^st December) everyone starts getting prepared for the arrival of the New Year and when people start making RESOLUTIONS of things they will do and thing they will not do for the following year.

IELTS Topic based vocabulary CHILDREN & FAMILY

CHILDREN & FAMILY is a topic that usually comes up in the IELTS speaking test and in Task 2 writing.  Here are just a few words to help you along on the topic of FAMILY.

VOCABULARY	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
bring up	to take care of and educate a child until he/she is an adult.	Some parents need to bring up their children more strictly in order to instil some discipline.
overprotective	being too worried about someone's safety, especially a child.	Some parents tend to be too overprotective of their children.
nuclear family	a family consisting of two parents and their children, but not including aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.	In some parts of the world the nuclear family remains at the heart of modern society.
extended family	a family unit which includes grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncles, etc. in addition to parents and children who live together or live close to each other.	In many cultures, such as in those of many  Southern European countries, Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans and Latin Americans extended families are the basic family unit.
birth rate	The total ration of live births in a specified population in a community over a particular period of time and is usually defined as live births out of 1000.	The lowest birth rates tend to be in developed countries.  The government showed record-low birth rates 63.2 per 1000 women, was the lowest ever recorded.

It is commonly believed that the BIRTH RATES in Europe and Japan are decreasing whilst in other parts of the world the birth rates are increasing. This also reflects on the culture and how the family structure is constructed.

The way children are BROUGHT UP  varies from culture to culture with many cultures believe that living with the EXTENDED FAMILY will give the parents the support to those who need it.  In contrast, families in the US and UK tend to be more of the NUCLEAR FAMILY.  Personally, I believe the extended family network is great but at the same time I think children from extended families are OVERPROTECTED.