Tips & Tricks for Taking the IELTS Test
IELTS (International English Language
Testing System) is designed to measure your ability to use English
in an academic environment. It tests all four skills and
is most commonly used for college, school or university applications.
Candidates
get a score between 1 (non-user) and 9 (expert user) for each section.
Universities often demand an IELTS score of 6 or 7. They may also demand a
minimum score in each of the 4 sections. Certificates have a recommended
validity of two years.
Reading
ü Read graded readers every chance you get in
order to build up your reading speed and pick up lots of passive vocabulary (no
dictionary).
ü Know the format! Don’t underestimate the difficulty of this
section simply because you’re an avid
reader and you feel like the Reading section is the last thing you need to
spend time preparing for.
ü
Be aware that all the information
you need to answer the questions is included in the text – you do not need to
have any prior knowledge of the theme. If you are unsure of what is being asked
for, re-read the text to see if you are able to discover the answer.
Writing
ü Do not copy any words
from the question as these will not be included in your final word count. You
will need to find your own way of expressing the meaning of the question, and
use synonyms wherever possible.
ü Be
sure to clearly express you own point of view. You can use phrases such
as In my opinion, I think, I would suggest that, etc.
ü Always include a
conclusion, the one paragraph at the end of the essay that sums up and
reiterates what you have written in previous paragraphs. Conclusions offer a
neat closure to your thoughts.
ü Rewrite essays you have written, following the
advice and comments from your teachers.
ü Never write answers BELOW the minimum length.
ü Remember that Task 2 is longer and has more
marks, so leave enough time for it.
ü Describe the information, not the diagram
itself (e.g. you don’t need to say exactly what’s shown on the vertical and
horizontal axes of a graph).
ü Select the important features and choose
figures to support these.
ü Make a paragraph plan before you write.
ü Check that all parts of the question are
addressed.
Listening
ü Make sure you know exactly what’s required for
each task and check the instructions.
ü Remember that you only hear the
recording once.
ü Listen to the BBC World Services regularly –
it has interesting news stories, reports and interviews, with international
focus.
ü Read the questions before the audio starts. This
will help you pick out the right information!
ü WRITE
IN ALL CAPS. Handwriting is important! Because if the examiner
marking your test can’t read your answer, it will be marked as incorrect! Don’t
lose points on a question you know the answer for.
ü Follow directions! If they specify “write no more
than one word”, don’t write more than one! It’ll be marked as incorrect!
Speaking
ü The secret to success is
to practice speaking at every opportunity – with colleagues, friends, on the
bus, wherever you can! The more you practice speaking, the more confident you
will become in using new words, and the greater the ease with which your
language will flow.
ü Make
sure your answers aren’t too short. But don’t make your responses too long it’s
easy to get off topic, and it’s more important to directly answer the question.
ü Record
yourself speaking on different topics as often as you can
ü Be aware that there are
no correct answers on the speaking test. The examiners are more interested in
finding out if you can say what you think in a clear and expressive way, using
proper English.
Practice makes you
perfect! Make sure you are familiar with
all the sections of the exam. Be
consistent in your approach. Go to class every day and do your homework. Make
sure you regularly ask your teachers what you need to do to improve.
Ljiljana Mitrovic, English teacher
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