Are you planning to take the IELTS test?  If so, it is essential to find out how it is structured in order to know what to expect and how to prepare.  In this blog post, we’ll give you an overview of the Listening test as well as a few exam tips.  The purpose of the IELTS listening test is to assess your ability to identify the main points and some specific details about what you have heard in a series of recordings. 

How many sections are there?

There are four sections in the Listening test:

When do you use you're and when do you use your?

What's the difference between it's and its?

How do you use they're or their and there?

(If you think you already know, go to the bottom of this page and take the grammar test. If you are not sure, keep reading... and then take the test)

The IELTS test can be stressful, right?

Your IELTS result can mean the difference between going to university or not. Your IELTS Band score can make a BIG difference to your life, so there is a lot at stake and of course, you really really want to do as well as possible when you are taking the exam.

An extremely important part of how to do well during the test is having great exam technique.

You must practise the IELTS questions before you do the exam for real, so that you know the kind of thing that you are being asked.

You must practise the tasks for IELTS writing to improve your Band Score.

The problem is that most IELTS students do not have a teacher that will spend time to mark their writing, so they do not find out how to improve their writing skills for the different questions specific to the IELTS test.

Now, you can get your task 1 answers marked for free by an SGI English teacher.

Read the basic information below about task 1 writing. Then read the sample answer for this pie chart question once or twice.

My IELTS test is next week. What should I do to get an IELTS band 7 score?

Students say sentences like this to teachers quite often.

Sometimes the student is just beginning to get nervous for the exam, but actually they have been studying IELTS for 3 months or more, and they will do well in the test, as long as they keep calm and don't let exam nerves get the better of them.

Most students that take the IELTS test find that the writing exam is the most difficult task.

how do you answer IELTS true false or not given questions correctly?

Read on and you will learn the most accurate and quickest way to answer these IELTS reading test questions.

Some people call these questions, True/ False/No Information, or yes/no/no information, or T/F/NG

Do not get confused... they all mean the same thing!

The essay for Task 2 of the IELTS writing exam is something that a lot of students are afraid of.

You must write about 250 words and this should be completed in approximately 40 minutes (because you also need to complete Writing Task 1 in the first 20 minutes of the 1 hour writing test).

To write the perfect answer and get the highest IELTS band score possible, you need to write quickly but also keep calm and focussed on writing your answer.

IELTS writing task 1 is the question in which you are given information in the form of a table, pie chart, line or bar graph and sometimes a picture of a process.

You should write about 150 words for this part of the test.

You only have 60 minutes to write your answers for TWO questions in this part of the IELTS exam. Writing Task 2 is longer (250 word answer) and there are more points for it.

So, think of writing task 1 as the "short answer", which must be completed quickly.

To improve your results in the IELTS writing exam or the CAE test (or any Cambridge English exam), you need to do a few things well.

You should aim to:

1. Write accurate English with as few grammar and/or vocabulary mistakes as possible
2. Write quickly
3. Answer the question that was asked

How much time does it take to go up 1 IELTS band score, for example from a 5 up to a 6?

How can I improve my IELTS band score up 1 level in 1 month?

I need a 6.5 in IELTS very soon, so that I can go to university. I'm only a 5 now - please help me!

These are common things that are said by English students to IELTS teachers.

What should you do to get a Student Visa for the UK (if you are NOT an EU citizen)?

The Student Visa application process can seem to be extremely complicated and it can be difficult knowing where to begin.

However, Tommi (the Student Visa Administrator at SGI London English School) is the man to go to if you have any UK Visa questions. He is here to help you and make your Student Visa application as smooth as possible, so that you can come (from outside the European Union) and study with us in the UK.

If you are going to sit the IELTS exam, then it's very important to know what things you will have to do in each part of the test.

When you know what kind of questions the IELTS test will throw at you, you will have a much better chance of increasing you IELTS band score to a high level.

In the video below, you can see the full details of the exam of all 4 parts: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

Here are some key facts that are very important because they usually give problems to students in the IELTS test:

Here is part 2 of a list of words that you can use in the IELTS exam to impress the examiner and boost your IELTS band score.

For IELTS Essential Words Part 1 (with vocabulary from A to L) please click here.

It is important in the IELTS exam that you do not only use basic language. You have to prove to your examiner that you have an upper intermediate to advanced vocabulary that you are able to correctly use in different contexts.

Students studying Academic English in London regularly ask SGI teachers,  'How can I quickly improve my IELTS band score?'

One of the ways to impress your examiner in the IELTS exam is to use impressive vocabulary.