This is for all the IELTS (Academic) aspirants who are
asking for tips to score 7+ band in each section. First of all, relax! This is
not as tough as it seems to be. You have been through much harder exams in your
life. So, here is what worked for me to achieve the target score (L:9, R:9,
W:7, S:8 overall 8.5) I hope it would benefit you all.
To begin with, familiarize yourself with the test pattern.
Go through the introduction of any Cambridge IELTS book and you’ll get to know the
exam pattern. You need to have the basic knowledge of the language i.e grammar, spellings, punctuation. If you don't, you have work on it before proceeding further.
Now, I’ll address each section i.e. Listening. Reading,
Writing and Speaking one by one.
LISTENING:
This would be the first skill in which you will be tested on the exam
day. The key to success here is practice
before the test and stay focussed while you attempt the paper.
Familiarize yourself with various accents such as
Australian, British, American etc. This can be done by practicing the tests
from Cambridge CDs. Start watching YouTube videos, it honestly helps a lot.
You’ll get used to listening and understanding English and learn some new
words.
Practice as many tests as possible and don’t stop until you
consistently get a band higher than your target.
During the exam, stay focussed. Pay close attention
to what you are listening because you might miss an answer if you lose
attention for just a couple of seconds. You might not hear the exact words as
in the test paper, hear for synonyms. Don’t leave any question unanswered. If
you miss a question just mark it and move ahead to come back to it later at the
end. Try to logically guess the answer, you might be right.
READING:
Time
management is the key here. I would suggest you to read all the questions
of one section first, underlining all important words then look for those or
their synonyms in the passage. Don’t try to read and understand the entire
passage, you’ll waste your time.
For Match the Heading type of question, attempt it after
answering all the other questions of that section. You are most likely to get
the main idea of the paragraph by reading the first and last sentences of the
paragraph. Learn to differentiate between the main and supporting ideas.
Practice using the Cambridge books and stay within the time
limit, ideally try to solve it in 50 or 55 minutes.
WRITING:
Now
comes the most dreaded part of the exam! It has 2 tasks, which you have to
complete within 60 minutes. Again, manage your time. I would suggest to attempt
Task 1 first as it is shorter (150 words). Complete it as fast as you can to have
enough time for the longer and more important Task 2. Practice these tasks from
the Cambridge books. Use academic formal language. Avoid informal words
For Task 1, I would recommend Liz’s pattern. Paraphrasing is very important, pay attention
to it. A good overview is the key here, in which you highlight all the
important information. Don’t write each
and every detail that you see. Just mention the most significant points and
compare and contrast whenever possible. Make sure you reach or cross the word
limit but don’t try to write a lot as you would waste your time. Keep the
report short and simple.
For Task2, planning is the key. Read the question
very carefully and plan what you are going to write step by step to address all
parts of the task. It’s fine to give 3 to 5 minutes to planning. Believe me you
will not regret it because you will have a framework in your mind. Use the
question paper to make a plan.
Pay attention to your grammar. If you have a lot
grammatical errors, you will not be able to score high. It’s good to use
complex sentences and words but only if you are sure that what you are writing
is correct. Otherwise, stick to the basics. Make sure you fully understand the
question and address all its parts such as give your opinion and give examples
where required. You can use your imagination to create examples if you don’t
know of any. You will be judged on your language not your truthfulness, just
make sure those are logical.
Remember to write at least 250 words.
How to count words? Count the lines on the answer sheet and
calculate how many words in each line and how many lines would make 250 words.
Do this as soon as you get the answer sheet and count the lines after finishing
the task for a rough idea.
SPEAKING:
This
part is tough for many people who don’t speak English in their day to day life.
Watch English TV shows and movies, You Tube videos etc. Try talking to your
friends or family in English. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, talk to
yourself. You just have to practice and get used to speaking in the language.
Make sure your grammar is correct. Don’t try to use fancy words if they don’t
come naturally. Stay calm. Smile. Breathe. Talk to the examiner as if you are
chatting with your friend. Don’t use slang. For part 2, use the 1 minute to
fully understand the topic and plan your answer. Write points on the paper that
you would explain later on. Don’t stop until you are asked to. Improvise if you
run out of ideas. Remember you’re not being judged on your opinions but on your
language. The key here is to be fluent and natural. Pronounce the
words correctly.
I hope this would help you reach your target. I'll be writing soon in detail about each of the four skills. So, stay tuned. All the best 😊
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