My experience and tips: IELTS

Jatin Gupta
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read

IELTS, The International English Language Testing System, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. People generally take this test when they have to immigrate to an English speaking country.

This test has 2 flavors, general and academic. Academic test is taken by those who wants to enroll in an academic institution. For those who want to get enrolled in an university need to take the academic test. One can choose the test type by the requirement of the institute to which they are applying to. Different universities have different eligibility criteria for various courses. It is better to check the websites of the universities before hand so that you know about the eligible scores of the test for admission to a particular course.

The test is marked on bands for each of the section. Band are in 0.5 increments till 9. Band 6.5 is acceptable by most of the institutes around the world, but some programs may require higher. Check with the official website of the universities for minimum requirements.

This article will be highly biased on my personal experience, some points may not be valid for everyone.

IELTS: 4 Sections

You can book your exam either from British Council or IDP. But if you are planning for UK, I will recommend to go with British Council, the reporting of the scores will be a bit easier. It costed me Rs 12600. Once you book the test, you will receive some study materials through mail.

IELTS consists of 4 sections :-

  • Listening: You will hear three audio clips and you have to answer 40 questions in 30 minutes. Usually the questions are either fill in the blanks or MCQ type. Then you need to transfer those answers into the marking OMR sheet in next 10 minutes.
  • Reading: You will be given 3 passages to read and you have to answer questions based on them in 60 minutes. Questions usually are either MCQ, true/false (or yes/no/not given), match the following.The best part about this section is that answers do come in sequence. It is a great help in such a strict time schedule!
  • Writing: In the academic version of IELTS, the writing section contains two task. In task 1 you have to explain a figure/chart/table in at-least 150 words. In task 2, you have to write an academic essay of more than 250 words on a given topic.
  • Speaking: In this section, you’ll be having a verbal communication for around 12–15 minutes with the examiner. The test is divided into three parts. First you will have few casual interview question about you and your life. In the next part, you’ll be given a cue card with a topic. You’ll have 1 minute to prepare and then you’ll have to speak for about 2 minutes. You will then be asked to speak for one-two minutes. In the third part, the examiner will ask general questions from you related to the topic given in part 2. You will be recorded during the test.

Preparation

I prepared for 1 month for this test. As I appeared for GRE test, I was well versed with reading and writing, but IELTS pattern were a bit different. I first did a course on edX, this will clear all your questions about the format and do’s and don’ts. I highly recommend this course.The material I used after the completion of edX course were Cambridge IELTS Book and Cambridge English IELTS Series (11th edition). Moreover, I also referred to the below blogs and I found them to be really helpful.

The above sources are sufficient for preparation, but I would like to give my personal tips which helped me in the process and are not discussed by anyone.

Tips for preparation

Listening

  1. Take the print out of the questions, switch on the recording on cd or Youtube and attempt the questions. Doing questions from the screen is very different from doing questions from the sheet of paper.
  2. Practice the art of elimination.
  3. Watch and think in English.
  4. Practice daily and contemplate where are you going wrong.

Reading

  1. Same as listening, take print out and practice.
  2. Practice elimination.
  3. Try skimming the paragraphs rather than reading the complete text.
  4. Practice daily at stretch, give dedicated 60 mins to this task, and try to complete one passage in 20 mins.
  5. The last passage will be difficult than the previous, beware. You may panic in the actual exam.
  6. Don’t just practice without looking where you are going wrong. Once you complete the test, check your answers and think what went wrong!
  7. If possible, mark questions on the official sheet.

Writing

  1. Write on the official test official sheet to get a better understanding of the length and words.
  2. Practice with pencil as you can rub and correct mistakes.
  3. Keep few minutes to proof read.
  4. Read more answers for ideas.
  5. Ask a friend to read and suggest mistakes and improvements.

Speaking

  1. Practice by recording yourself and analyzing your style.
  2. Ask a friend to listen and suggest improvements.
  3. Pause wisely.
  4. Practice the complete set of questions at once.

D-Day Tips

  1. Do not study one day before the exam. Take rest.
  2. Check the venue before hand. You will receive an e-mail few days before the exam. It will act as your appointment letter. Get it printed. A colored photocopy of the passport (both front and back side) maybe required. Keep them handy.
  3. It may be chilly in the hall, dress appropriately. Mine was 23 degree Celsius.
  4. Follow the instructions of the exam coordinators for smooth proceedings.
  5. Do not panic, it’s fine if you get some questions wrong, keep going.

I wish this article would help you through your IELTS journey.

You can do it, believe in yourself.
All the best :)

Thanks to Kartik Sharma

Jatin Gupta

Written by

https://jatin7gupta.github.com

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