IELTS Listening advice

Hello community.

I am checking an IELTS Listening practice test that I've just done, and have faced these "mistakes". Would these be really considered errors in an official test?

- The person speaking indicates a precise date: "that'd be the twenty-second of October". My answer is "22nd October"; the solution is "22 October".

- The speaker is giving indications about the nearest bus stop: "The nearest one would probably be just beside the library". The answer sentence is: "Nearest bus stop: near to ....................". The exercise allows up to THREE words &/or a number. I've written "the library". The solution states just "library".

- A person is speaking about things that can threaten whales. She says: "A growing concern is that loud noises in the ocean cause strandings. Noises such as those caused by military exercises are of particular concern and have been pinpointed as the cause of some strandings of late." The answer sentence is: "................. from military tests are linked to some recent strandings". I could have written up to TWO words. My answer: "Loud noises"; the solution is just "Noises".

Aside from the first one, which I think is truly an error, I don't see why the other two should be seen as mistakes. What do you think. Did you have similar experiences?

Study something you like - VS - Study ONLY something that will be useful in the working world. Nowadays, having an university degree is taken almost for granted. On the other hand, the number of students and study opportunities has sharply increased. Nonetheless, the choice of the subject of one's study path is still very important, not only in view of one's future career, but especially because it will determine how pleasant and interesting its university and job experiences will be. Therefore, it would be wise to learn about something that we enjoy, more than something purely "useful". Undoubtedly, having a major in one of the so-called "expendable degrees" may be an advantage when looking for a job. Certain subjects, such as STEM, are highly requested in businesses and organisations nowadays. On the other hand, some people may love other subjects that are not considered as much useful on behalf of a future working career, like literature, philosophy and arts. This choice is frequently discouraged using the scarecrow of unemployment as if it was more a fact than a possibility. However, this isn't true. Many of these skilled students find jobs related to their areas of study, even if they don't fall in the category of subjects usually defined as useful. Others may want to continue their career in the academic world, giving their contribution to research or education. Unfortunately, some may not be lucky enough to find a job linked to their degree; however, in my opinion, this happens on both sides. The reason why scientific subjects appear to be more popular in the working world is that they have a wider range of applications. However, what's the point of having studied physics, for example, if you end working as an accountant just because you have a basic knowledge of informatics? I strongly believe that the main goal in our life is to pursue what we love, which includes studying about something that we enjoy. I think that, so long we put all our efforts and commitment in what we do, there's no "useless" degree. In my view, skills are always repaid.

Sales of Fairtrade-labeled coffee and bananas in Europe in 1999 and 2004. The tables summarize the information about how much Fairtrade-labeled coffee and bananas have been sold in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries. These are the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden. In 1999, Switzerland was the major consumer of coffee among the countries in exam, buying a total of € 3 million worth of coffee. Coffee has been sold the least in Sweden, for € 0.8 million. In 2004, the overall coffee demand has increased. The UK has become the largest coffee buyer, with a consumption worth € 20 millions. Sweden has stayed the country buying the least amount of coffee with purchases limited to € 1 million. Regarding bananas, Switzerland has been the largest consumer both in 1999 and in 2004, buying bananas for a total worth 15 and 47 millions euros respectively. In 1999, the fewest bananas have been sold in Belgium for a revenue of € 0.6 million, while in 2004, the minor buyers have become Sweden and Denmark, where sales have been limited to 0.9 and 1 million euros respectively. Overall, in 2004, the sales of both coffee and bananas have sharply increased, with the UK being the major consumer of both products.

Use of punishment as part of the education process [full title in the text] [Title] It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age. Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinction. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? What sort of punishment should parents and teachers be allowed to use to teach good behaviour to children? [/Title] We are responsible for the future of our world and society. This has several implications, but the most important one is probably educating the next generation. However, despite being such a crucial task, it still lacks a clear and acknowledged method. As a result, educators, both parents and teachers, use their own, hoping for the best. One of the most popular laws of old school education is the so-called "reinforcement". If a child has a good behavior he or she should have a prize, while if they behave badly, they should be punished. In this way, the child associates nice feelings to certain behaviors and unpleasant ones to others. However, this method relies entirely on this empty, almost mechanic, association, without focusing on the explanation at its base. Punishing a child for specific behaviors won't teach him or her what is wrong, but just to avoid those specific behaviors or, growing up, how to sneak by adults and avoid being caught. The only way to rise a new generation able to discriminate between right and wrong is to teach them to think rationally, explaining them why certain things are acceptable and others are not. In no circumstances a child should be punished. A scolding is enough, if followed by a clear explanation. This is the only punishment that educators, in my view, should be allowed to use. Children are humans who still need to learn how things work. Making decisions is part of that complex process of trials and errors also known as experience.

Help with IELTS speaking test.

Hi there italki community,

I'm Antonio, an Italian boy and I'm going to attend a IELTS test next week. I feel quite confident about the Listening and Reading sections, and I think that my writing skills are overall decent. However, I feel very anxious about the Speaking part. I really am not the type of person who talks about everything, and the majority of sample topics just feel so fake that I almost cannot speak at all! I have talked to  few English people in the past, and I have been trying to improve my speaking a lot in the last week, but I can't see any upgrade.
If you want to help or you are interested in an exchange, feel free to contact me. I'm available on Skype and Whatsapp.

Thank you for your time, bye.

Some people learn a foreign language for utility, others say this shouldn't be the only reason. Globalization is one of the distinctive traits of today's society. Distant places are becoming increasingly closer due to the improvement of international transports. As places are becoming closer one to the other, the same happens to cultures and ideas. In order to interact with such cultures and understand all these new ideas, people need to communicate and therefore share the same language. Language is a tool that humans have created in order to fulfil a task: make communication simple. Many people nowadays learn a foreign language for this same reason: to be able to share thoughts and experiences. This applies both to people who enjoy doing their vacations abroad and just need to talk with the hotel staff, and to people who work in a foreign environment every day. In order to make this process more efficient, a common, universal language has been chosen: English. In the majority of cases, English alone fulfils the need of communication and it is the only tool you need to interact with the world. However, since humans had spread around the world, each different language has been containing traces of the history of the population that created it. Language has become not only a tool, but also a flag of culture. For this reason, a lot of people learn foreign languages not only to have a tool that helps them to communicate, but also to learn something about the people who speak it and connect with them. In my opinion, languages are powerful tools and, like any other tool, their importance lies in the task that they accomplish. I think that languages should be learned in order to be able to express yourself, not just for the sake of knowing them. Any other reason lies, in my view, in the domain of personal taste. In other words, learning a new language in order to know more about a culture may be interesting and fun, but this is not the reason why people should learn it in the first place.