Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic is among the latest books in the IELTS 1-19 series published by Cambridge University Press. With a similar format to the previous volumes, this book offers four practice tests, each covering all four skills of the IELTS exam: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
The diverse range of topics covered in the book makes it an excellent resource for students to familiarise themselves with IELTS and practise examination techniques using authentic test material. Besides, they will learn the necessary skills and strategies to improve their English language skills and pass the IELTS test successfully.
| Series Title | Cambridge IELTS |
| Title | Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Publication Date | July 2023 |
| Author | N/A |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 143 |
| Dimensions | 787 x 1092 mm |
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Layout
Cambridge Book 18 Academic 2023 includes 3 main parts, namely:
The Introduction provides the basics about the IELTS test structure, sample tests, marking methods, and test scoring criteria.
In the next part, the IELTS 18 Academic book provides 4 sample tests, each covering all four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The exam questions compiled by IELTS examiners closely follow the latest actual exam format in 2023. Therefore, learners can familiarise themselves with more diverse topics.
The last part provides a detailed answer key and sample answer sheet; the IELTS Academic Book 18 audio script is also provided. This allows learners to self-evaluate their abilities after completing the tests.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Test 1
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 1
Listening Section 1: Transport Survey
Listening Section 2: Becoming a volunteer for ACE
Listening Section 3: Talk on jobs in fashion design
Listening Section 4: Elephant translocation
Cambridge IELTS 18 Reading Test 1
Reading Passage 1: Urban farming
Reading Passage 2: Forest management in Pennsylvania, USA
Reading Passage 3: Conquering Earth’s space junk problem
Cambridge IELTS 18 Writing Test 1
Writing Task 1: Line chart
Writing Task 2: Agree or Disagree
Cambridge IELTS 18 Speaking Test 1
Speaking Part 1: Paying bills
Speaking Part 2: Describe some food or drink that you learned to prepare
Speaking Part 3: Young people and cooking/ Working as a chef
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Test 2
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 2
Listening Section 1: Working at Milo’s Restaurants
Listening Section 2: The new housing development plan
Listening Section 3: The Laki eruption of 1783
Listening Section 4: Pocket
Cambridge IELTS 18 Reading Test 2
Reading Passage 1: Stonehenge
Reading Passage 2: Living with artificial intelligence
Reading Passage 3: An ideal city
Cambridge IELTS 18 Writing Test 2
Writing Task 1: Column chart
Writing Task 2: Discuss both view and give opinion
Cambridge IELTS 18 Speaking Test 2
Speaking Part 1: Science
Speaking Part 2: Describe a tourist attraction in your country that you would recommend.
Speaking Part 3: Museums and art galleries/ The holiday industry
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Test 3
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 3
Listening Section 1: Wayside Camera Club membership form
Listening Section 2: Picking mushrooms
Listening Section 3: Future works with automation
Listening Section 4: Space Traffic Management
Cambridge IELTS 18 Reading Test 3
Reading Passage 1: Materials to take us beyond concrete
Reading Passage 2: The steam car
Reading Passage 3: The case for mixed-ability classes
Cambridge IELTS 18 Writing Test 3
Writing Task 1: Diagram
Writing Task 2: Give your Opinion
Cambridge IELTS 18 Speaking Test 3
Speaking Part 1: Online shopping
Speaking Part 2: Describe a time when you enjoyed visiting a member of your family in their home.
Speaking Part 3: Family occasions/ Everyday life in families
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Test 4
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 4
Listening Section 1: Job details from employment agency
Listening Section 2: The Museum of Farming Life
Listening Section 3: Origami as an educational tool
Listening Section 4: Victor Hugo
Cambridge IELTS 18 Reading Test 4
Reading Passage 1: Green roofs
Reading Passage 2: The growth mindset
Reading Passage 3: Alfred Wegener: science, exploration and the theory of continental drift
Cambridge IELTS 18 Writing Test 4
Writing Task 1: Line chart
Writing Task 2: Advantages and Disadvantages
Cambridge IELTS 18 Speaking Test 4
Speaking Part 1: Sleep
Speaking Part 2: Describe a time when you met someone who you became good friends with
Speaking Part 3: Friends at school/ Making new friends
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Audio Script
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Sample Essays
Overall, Cambridge IELTS 18 Book Academic 2023 follows the same format and content as the other books in the Cambridge IELTS series. The main difference is that the explanations for the answers are more detailed, and the recording quality for listening tests has been improved. Remarkably, the test questions closely resemble those of the actual exams in 2023.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 with Answers Review
The primary target audience for the Cambridge IELTS 18 book is those of at least an intermediate level who are preparing for the IELTS test. The book is particularly suitable for those at a level of 5.0+ to better their listening, speaking, reading, and writing scores.
Here are the primary features of the Cambridge 18 book compared to previous versions.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Listening Test
Compared to Cambridge 10 – 17, the question types in Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic 2023 are generally familiar to IELTS students. The question types are gap-filling/fill-in-the-blanks for Part 1 and Part 4, while Part 2 and Part 3 include multiple-choice questions.
It is worth noting that the overall proportion of multiple-choice questions in Cambridge 18 has increased, while the proportion of fill-in-the-blanks and map questions is lower. However, map questions appeared compared to Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic, so the proportion of map questions in the upcoming IELTS tests may increase.
Regarding listening context, Cambridge 10-18 primarily focuses on academic and everyday life contexts. The topic mainly covers everyday life, job searching, business management, and tourism. Meanwhile, academic topics are mostly about research topics, social sciences, and humanities. The only difference is that in Cambridge IELTS 18, the Listening section includes less common topics related to science and technology.
However, because the science and technology topics appearing in Part 4 mainly consist of fill-in-the-blank questions, you don’t need to worry too much about highly specialised topics. For Gap-filling questions, the key is to learn how to “read and predict each question.”
The changes in the listening section and corresponding difficulty of Cambridge 18 Book Academic are as follows:
- The proportion of multiple-choice questions has increased, accounting for about 13.7%.
- Compared to Cambridge 17, the overall difficulty of the listening section in Cambridge 18 has decreased. The speed and accent of the audio are still at an average level, with some parts even slower. There is only a slight presence of Northern British and Irish accents.
- More usage of synonymous word replacements, replacing vocabulary with explanatory word types, requiring higher lexical knowledge of the test takers.
- The difficulty of fill-in-the-blank questions is average, with the occurrences of many new words in the answer choices.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Reading Test
Compared to IELTS Cambridge 4 – 17, Cambridge 18 reading tests consist of fill-in-the-blank, combined and evaluation questions, which account for the absolute majority. However, the proportion of sentence completion questions has fallen, while that for single-choice questions has significantly risen.
Regarding the main question types, fill-in-the-blank questions with synonymous words are increasingly recurring, with phrases and difficulty levels raised. Matching features questions may appear together with Matching information questions. The T/F/NG question type in Cambridge 18 Academic 2023 tends to decrease. There is only one List of Headings question in Cambridge 18, but pay attention to this question type if you want to achieve a high band score.
The topics in Cambridge IELTS 18 Reading tests are relatively evenly distributed. Ecology and environmental protection appear in 4 out of 12 passages. Though trying to cover as diverse topics as possible, the Cambridge book only focuses on common topics such as technology, economics, commerce, health, and healthcare.
Regarding difficulty, Cambridge 18 Reading is slightly more challenging than Cambridge 15, 16, and 17, with various question types in the first reading passages. Medium and difficult question types are placed at the beginning and move towards the first and second passages. From this set, it is clear that the IELTS test assesses the language proficiency rather than the skills of the test takers.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Speaking Test
Overall, the Speaking tests in Cambridge IELTS 18 are not too difficult. Based on the sample questions in Cambridge 18, the IELTS Speaking section has the following characteristics:
Part 1: Although Cambridge 18 includes some new topics, the dominant position remains for the familiar topics. Some examiners in Speaking Part 1 may also ask “Why/Why not,” so it is essential to prepare your answer content accordingly. In Part 1 and Parts 2 and 3, there may be interaction and discussion questions between the examiner and the candidate.
Part 2: There is a diverse combination of topics, and a question may be related to different subject areas. Based on Cambridge 18, it is predicted that tourism-related topics will appear in the upcoming actual exams.
Part 3: There’s a rise in personal opinion questions, which aim to evaluate the candidate’s ability to use language in real-life contexts.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Writing Test
Compared to previous Cambridge editions, IELTS Cambridge 18 Academic 2023 marks the return of the examiner’s and candidate’s sample essays. In previous editions, there would be no comments if an examiner’s sample were present. In Cambridge 18 Academic 2023, the examiner’s essays also receive detailed feedback from another examiner, mainly focusing on the Task Achievement/Task Response criterion. This will help candidates with a solid foundation better understand the evaluation criteria of the test.
Moreover, the examiner’s sample essays are no longer considered “sacred” objects. The examiner’s samples were often from Band 8.0 and above in previous Cambridge IELTS editions. However, based on additional comments in the Cambridge 18 samples, it can be observed that the examiner’s samples no longer adhere to this pattern. There are examiner samples that achieved Band 8.0, but there are also some in the Band 7.0 range.
Regarding the types of IELTS Writing prompts from Cambridge 4 to Cambridge 18, the following can be noted:
- In Writing Task 1, the most common type of prompt is charts (pie, bar, line), followed by process and map prompts – these two types have increasingly appeared in a higher proportion in the past three years.
- In IELTS Writing Task 2 prompts from Cambridge 9 to Cambridge 18, the highest proportion belongs to Discuss both views and Agree/Disagree prompts.
How to Use Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Book PDF
Preparing for the IELTS exam can be daunting, but with the right approach and resources, you can enhance your skills and boost your score. Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 is a valuable tool in your preparation arsenal. To make the most out of this book and improve your chances of success, follow these strategic guidelines:
Establish a solid foundation: Before using Cambridge IELTS Academic 18, it is recommended to have a background of about 5.0 IELTS or higher. Ensure you have built a strong English knowledge using IELTS books such as Collins for IELTS, The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS and other Cambridge IELTS books.
Assess your skills accurately: Take Cambridge mock tests to evaluate your skill level. If your test date is over a month away, avoid relying solely on the test questions in Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 for practice. Instead, use the book as a reference and identify your weakest skill. Focus on improving that skill before the test and follow a three-week review plan.
Check answers after finishing the tests: Avoid looking at the printed answers in Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 before taking the tests. This will prevent you from underestimating the test’s difficulty level. Instead, carefully and thoroughly answer the questions during the test time and check your answers afterwards to assess your performance accurately.
Perfect practice makes perfect: Do the practice tests in Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 multiple times. This will help you memorise vocabulary, grammar, and course knowledge and improve your overall skills and score. However, avoid immediately repeating the same test the next day. Wait for 1 or 2 weeks before repeating it, and during that time, you can take another test from our IELTS books.
Time management: Practice time management by ensuring you finish the tests within the allotted time. The key to test preparation is to put pressure on yourself, so use a watch or timer to simulate the real test conditions and improve your speed.
Remember, using Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 PDF Students’ Book should be a part of your overall IELTS preparation strategy. Combine it with other IELTS materials for regular practice and skills boost to raise your chances of achieving a desirable IELTS score.
How to Practise with IELTS Cambridge 18 Academic Book
To effectively practise and solve the IELTS Cambridge 18 tests, you can refer to these practice methods:
- Scanning Technique: This method involves quickly scanning and gathering information to identify the main idea of a passage. It helps you quickly understand and comprehend the key points.
- Highlight Key Words: Another effective method is highlighting essential words/phrases in the passage. This helps you to recognise relevant events and crucial information related to the answers.
- Narrow Reading: This technique involves reading multiple texts or materials within the same genre, theme, or by the same author. It helps to improve vocabulary, understanding of specific topics, and familiarity with common writing styles, vocabulary, and grammar structures.
- Active Listening: Concentrate on listening attentively and take notes of the main ideas. Use keywords in the questions to keep track and stay focused during the listening process.
- Listen Twice, Practice Twice: After listening to the audio, attempt the questions without referring to the answers or script. Then, check the answers and review the script. Pay attention to the distractors to avoid repeating mistakes.
- Shadowing: Take advantage of script-based shadowing techniques to support your speaking skills.
Avoid relying solely on the sample answers in the Cambridge IELTS 18 book 2023. Instead, expand and develop your ideas naturally. Enhance your vocabulary by reading news articles, watching documentaries, and referring to other research sources. This will help you have a solid vocabulary base for delivering more natural responses.
Analyse the Writing task’s requirements and effectively develop your essay. Apply this method to various writing prompts, where the analysis of the prompt and the expression of ideas are presented in a table and divided into clear sections, with each box in the table serving a specific function.
Download Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 [PDF + Audio]
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 is perfect for self-study, providing answer keys with detailed explanations, audio recordings, transcripts, and writing sample answers.
Download Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Student Books with Answers [PDF + Audio] by clicking the Download button below.
NOTE:
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Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Resource Bank: You can access the Listening test audio files, for example Speaking test video, answer keys with extra explanations, and additional sample Writing answers by scanning the QR code.
Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 audio files:
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 01 Part 1 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 01 Part 2 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 01 Part 3 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 01 Part 4 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 02 Part 1 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 02 Part 2 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 02 Part 3 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 02 Part 4 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 03 Part 1 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 03 Part 2 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 03 Part 3 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 03 Part 4 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 04 Part 1 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 04 Part 2 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 04 Part 3 Audio
Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Test 04 Part 4 Audio
Cambridge IELTS Academic Book 18 FAQs
What are the pros & cons of IELTS Academic 18?
The IELTS Academic 18 audio is of high quality, and the book provides sample essays with detailed reviews and comments from the reviewers for learners’ reference. However, Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Book 2023 is only suitable for those with English proficiency of at least 5.0+.
How to download Cambridge IELTS 18 audio?
You can download the Cambridge IELTS 18 audio + PDF via our direct links on Google Drive or purchase them from Cambridge Press. If you’ve downloaded the Cambridge IELTS 18 book 2023 in PDF format, its substantial file size can make it hard to share. To facilitate easier sharing, you can compress the IELTS PDF 18 book into a PDF Zip file.
Does Cambridge IELTS 18 contain audio scripts?
Yes. Like IELTS Cambridge Academic 17 Book, the Cambridge IELTS Book 18 has audio scripts. The audio scripts provide a written version of the audio recordings, allowing students to follow along and review the content more effectively.
What is IELTS Academic 18 Resource Bank?
The “Resource Bank” included in the IELTS 18 Academic refers to additional supplementary materials or resources accompanying the book and audio. These resources are answer keys, tips and strategies for each exam section, and study guides. These resources can help test-takers familiarise themselves with the test format, develop their skills, and improve their performance in the actual exam.
How many Cambridge IELTS books are there?
The Cambridge IELTS Books series consists of 19 volumes, with Cambridge 19 Academic being the latest one, published in July 2024. Each book in the series is a valuable resource for authentic practice for the IELTS tests, including four genuine past examination papers from Cambridge ESOL, accompanied by answer keys and listening CDs. With these resources, learners can engage in helpful practice sessions and prepare better for the IELTS tests.