Getting ready for the IELTS exam can be a daunting experience. Whether it is to help you get into university, improve your job prospects or as a personal challenge, our Academic Team has the expertise to help you succeed. We have put together ten tips that will help you maximise your potential and make this time a little less stressful.
Top 10 tips to prepare for your IELTS exam…
1. Use authentic materials whenever possible.
– Listen to the BBC World Services regularly – it has interesting news stories, reports and interviews, with international focus. Get into the habit of taking notes on interesting stories.
– Read the Economist every week. It has articles of similar length and complexity to those you will be faced with in the test.
2. If your exam is very soon, copy out model answers from the back of test books in order to solidify your command of vocabulary and sentence and essay structure.
3. Rewrite essays you have written, following the advice and comments from your teachers.
4. Practice makes perfect! Make sure you are familiar with all sections of the exam. Replicating exam conditions at home will help you with time management on the day. That is especially true for the writing part of the exam, where it is very easy to lose track of time. You can prepare for the speaking section in class or if at home, get a friend to help you.
5. Read graded readers every chance you get in order to build up your reading speed and pick up lots of passive vocabulary (no dictionary).
6. Pick up useful tips from specialist websites.
7. Look out for tables and graphs in newspapers and magazines, and try writing a few lines to describe what the visual information tells you.
8. Record yourself telling stories about your experiences. Listen to the recordings and try to think how to improve.
9. Take careful note of mistakes – regularly write down mistakes you keep making (both speaking and writing)
10. 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.