For many people, test-taking can be a terrifying experience, especially if it’s about a language
that isn’t your own: The IELTS exam.
Hey everyone, I’m Mark with EssayPro.com, and our expert writers came up with a series
of tips to help you prepare for your IELTS test.
That includes what the test is, what you’ll find in it, how to study for it, and what
to do during it.
Let’s start with a bit of background.
IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System.
It’s a standardized test designed for non-native English speakers to determine their proficiency
in English.
It’s intended for those who want to live and work in the UK (it being the only test
approved to get yourself a UK visa), and the Commonwealth countries.
It is also accepted by over 3000 academic institutions in the United States.
There’s no minimum score you need to get in order to pass.
Instead, they have something called “bands”, from 1 to 9: Band 1 means non-user of the English language;
Band 9 means expert user;
Band 0 is given to test takers who signed up but did not show up.
Your IELTS test will consist of the following sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.
Be sure to study hard for each of these.
Listening will take up 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet),
with 60 minutes for reading, 60 minutes for writing, and between 11 to 14 minutes
for speaking.
This gives you a total of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.
The listening part has 4 sections with 10 questions in each.
Sections 1 & 2 are about casual scenarios, while sections 3 & 4 are about academic situations.
The reading part is made up of 3 sections, with each section being 900 words on average.
You’ll need to answer a series of multiple-choice questions for every text, including giving
short-answers, labeling diagrams, and more.
The writing part consists of 2 tasks.
Task 1 is a minimum of 150 words and should be done in 20 minutes.
Task 2 is a minimum of 250 words and should be done in 40 minutes.
In academic IELTS, task 1 will be about describing a table, graph, or diagram in your own words.
Task 2 will ask you to argue a position, your point of view, or address a problem.
The speaking part is made up of 3 sections.
Section 1 is a 5-minute introduction and interview.
Section 2 is a 2-minute presentation about a given topic, for which you’ll have 2 minutes
to prepare.
Section 3 is a 5-minute discussion between you and the examiner, usually on the topic
from section 2.
Your final score will be valid for 2 years, and unless you’ve become fluent and maintained your level,
you’ll probably need to take the test again – which you have the option
to do once every 4 months.
Now that you know what will be on the test itself,
here are some essential tips for acing your IELTS exam.
1) Before you begin studying, figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are.
If you can, ask someone with academic knowledge of English grammar to test you.
There are plenty of native English speakers available in almost every country in the world,
so be sure to hire one if possible to help figure out what you need to work on.
2) Get yourself organized, in order to study more effectively.
Once you figure out what you need to improve, plan your studying by prioritizing those weak points.
3) Begin (and continue) the studying process.
For example, if you have issues with basic grammar, books from Cambridge University Press
like Raymond Murphy’s “Essential Grammar in Use” and “English Grammar in Use”,
as well as Martin Hewings’s “Advanced Grammar in Use” will be some of the best
guides you will get your hands on.
Each unit contains a well-explained theory section, and a practice section, all of which
accumulate as you go through the books.
Improvement with reading rests entirely on your combined understanding of both grammar
and vocabulary.
If you’re using the recommended grammar books to boost your grammar, consider immersing
yourself in English-language shows, films, music, and books in order to absorb as many
words (and their definitions) as possible.
This could seem like a mountain to climb, but do not give up – too many people have
succeeded for you to discount your own success.
There are also books like the English Vocabulary in Use series (ranging from Elementary to
Advanced levels) that function on the same idea as Cambridge’s “Grammar in Use” books.
Just like your reading skills, your speaking will depend on how well you know English grammar
and vocabulary.
This is because, to put it in a bit of a gruesome way, grammar builds the skeleton of your statement
or question, while the vocabulary is the flesh.
Like wielding a sword in a sword-fight, your ability to be articulate while speaking is
based on how well you wield your words and the grammatical structures which hold them.
The Writing section requires not only reading, grammar, and vocabulary skills, but also knowing
how to structure your thoughts.
Refer to our videos here on our EssayPro channel for in-depth info on how to become a more
effective writer.
In those videos, you will learn how to properly outline your essays, which is part of what
you will be writing in the IELTS writing section.
Listening seems to be a hard one for students.
With so many different accents, and so many people too lazy to use their mouth to enunciate
words (that is to pronounce them fully and with clarity), many people studying English
find it frustrating to adjust their ears in order to grasp what the native speaker is saying.
That’s why you have to go into the lion’s den.
Podcasts and audiobooks from the United States and the UK will provide you with two different
but commonly used accents.
Listen to enough of them and you’ll train your ear.
There is another way to help with listening practice: an IELTS study book.
IELTS study books contain Listening practice sections that force you to respond to audio
within a limited amount of time.
On average, you have about 20 seconds of preparation and 1 minute to answer.
Get your hands on an IELTS study book once you feel ready to test your skills before
the exam.
A simple internet search reveals “Complete IELTS from Cambridge” to be a great way to help
you prepare for your IELTS test.
Keep in mind that an IELTS study book will help you to further determine your weaknesses and strengths.
It will not teach you the language itself.
Once you’ve completed your IELTS training, you’re likely to need a healthy body and
mind to do well on the test.
For effective body & mind prep:
Get enough sleep.
When you’re completely sleep-deprived, you’re pretty much drunk.Drunken minds don’t do
well on aptitude tests of any kind, and research shows that skipping a night of sleep will
not only make you drowsy, but it will spike your levels of Cortisol, leaving you stressed out.
When you’re stressed, the logical center of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, will
not function properly.
Eat a good breakfast.
Your body is a machine, it needs fuel to work.
With enough nutrients, you’re going to be ready and resilient to the stress of test-taking.
Manage stress.
Too many people react to tests as if it were a dangerous animal in the jungle.
Cortisol levels spike; one of the fights, flight, or freeze modes is activated depending
on the person, and suddenly, mental sharpness declines.Knowing the material makes the process
a whole lot more relaxing.
Don’t forget that doing something over and over makes it casual.
Lastly: Dress appropriately.
This should be obvious, but stressed-out test-takers could wind up wearing something uncomfortable
that may distract them from doing their best.
WHEN WRITING THE EXAM As for doing the exam itself:
Read all of the instructions as carefully as possible.
Review all of the example answers to know how you should format your answers.
When writing, pay very close attention to grammar and spelling.
You could have a correct essay structure and express the right ideas, but if your grammar
and spelling are off, you will definitely lose marks.
You will be writing an essay based on a question given to you.
Pay very close attention to the instructions.
When reading, make sure not to stop at a word that you might not know.
Instead, you could get the whole idea of the sentence based on the words around it.
Otherwise, you could waste a lot of time.
When listening, don’t daydream.
Focus on every word that is stated.
Prioritize listening to the core message and not on the speaker’s accent.
When speaking, first try to structure your thoughts in your head by prioritizing the
information you want to present.
Being familiar with good writing will make you a great speaker.
If you enjoyed the video, hit subscribe and leave a like.
Leave a comment below if you have any questions, or want us at EssayPro.com to explain something
in further detail.
Thanks for watching.