IELTS Test Tips A couple of weeks ago, I did a 3 hour written exam for a higher teaching qualification, so similar in timing to the IELTS exam. I haven’t got the results yet, but I think I didn’t do myself justice because of poor exam technique: I spent way too long on the first section and didn’t leave sufficient time to complete the final sections. So, with these IELTS tips below added to your IELTS preparation, hopefully you won’t repeat my poor time management and you will get a great IELTS result! IELTS Exam Tips
- IELTS WRITING: If you write less than the minimum words, you will lose marks. Task 1 minimum word count = 150. Task 2 minimum word count = 250. There is NO maximum number of words, but make sure you don’t keep on writing for hours and hours on one question.
- IELTS SPEAKING: Don’t attempt to give a prepared speech that isn’t really related to your question. Make sure you are being relevant to what the question is about.
- IELTS WRITING: Always think about the suggested timing for answers (unlike me!!). You can score more marks on task 2 than on task 1, so don’t wait too long to get there!!
- IELTS READING: You don’t have time to understand every word. Make sure that you understand the main meaning of a text…you might not even be tested on that particular word that is causing you difficulty. If there is a word that you need to understand for a specific question, there is normally some clue to its meaning in the context of the sentence, or surrounding sentences.
- IELTS SPEAKING: You are NOT being tested on your knowledge of the world. The IELTS results will reflect on how good your communication skills are – bear that in mind.
- IELTS LISTENING: The questions normally appear in the same order as they do in the recording, so answer the listening questions in the correct order. Don’t try to jump ahead to some of the later questions.
- IELTS WRITING: Make sure you leave enough time (5 minutes or so) to check your essay after you’ve finished writing for mistakes. Finding simple mistakes and correcting them will make an overall good impression on the examiner.
- IELTS SPEAKING: Speak to and communicate with the examiner. Don’t try to speak into the recording equipment.
- IELTS LISTENING: Keep listening until the recording ends and only look at the questions that are related to that part of the recording. Stay focused!
- IELTS ACADEMIC READING: Begin by going through each article to understand things like: the topic, the writer’s purpose, the source, the intended reader….but don’t spend too long on this. Keep it quick!
Good luck with all your IELTS preparation. I know it’s boring, but just think how great you will feel when you get the IELTS result that you need. If you want to do a free IELTS practice test (and you should WANT to – because you NEED to do practice tests for IELTS) then try out this link or this one.
