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Simone Braverman

Simone Braverman is the founder of IELTS-Blog.com and the author of several renowned IELTS preparation books, including Ace the IELTS, Target Band 7, the High Scorer's Choice practice test series, and IELTS Success Formula. Since 2005, Simone has been committed to making IELTS preparation accessible and effective through her books and online resources. Her work has helped 100,000's of students worldwide achieve their target scores and live their dream lives. When Simone isn't working on her next IELTS book, video lesson, or coaching, she enjoys playing the guitar or rollerblading.

IELTS preparation tips from Nguyen Van Thoai, Band 6.5

“I am so glad that I won the competition in August, which I have never thought of. Here are my tips for the IELTS preparation:

Practice is the key.

I didn’t have any special tactics for the test. However, I practiced a lot before the test day.

As a student of informatics, I spend most of my time working in front of the computer, reading e-books, over 20 pages every day (these are all in English, certainly). I avoid using Vietnamese (my first language) while working as it interrupts my thoughts.

The best way to learn new words, in my opinion, is to learn in context. Previously, I read Vietnam News Daily but I switched to online newspapers for convenience. I suggest you use an aggregator (eg: Google Reader) and subscribe to CNN or BBC, which has a fine style and provide us with a wide range of vocabulary.

Being able to think in English would be helpful, especially after reaching the lower-intermediate level (I gained this skill since elementary level). This skill might take a while to learn yet it’s a rewarding experience to have. In the beginning, you can temporary say goodbye to your first language by mute reading books that suits you level without a dictionary, just leave the unknown words to look up later.

As soon as you finish the elementary level, forget the bilingual dictionary and switch to a monolingual (English-English) one. A good dictionary is irreplaceable but it is still better to study new words in context. If you are unable to guess the meaning of a word, go on with the WordNet before opening your Oxford dictionary.

WordNet is a large lexical database of English in which nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are grouped into sets of cognitive synonyms, each expressing a distinct concept. It can be downloaded free of charge from http://wordnet.princeton.edu/.

The writing skill, on the other hand, is my weak point as of now. I would like to get back to it some other day, perhaps when I reach 7 in it.

Gook luck to IELTS Blog and I hope that my tips would be of help to the readers.”

IELTS test in El Salvador

This post is about to make all the IELTS candidates from El Salvador very happy. The good news is that you guys don’t have to travel to Guatemala, Costa Rica or Mexico any more for the exam – save your money, there is a brand new IELTS centre in your own country.

The first exam will be held on the 13 December 2008, so go ahead and enroll! Here are the contact details of the new IELTS test centre:

Address: 89a Av. norte #541, Colonia Escalon, San Salvador. World Trade Centre Zone
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 7:00 am. to 9:00 pm, Saturday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Phone numbers: (503)2264-1497 / (503)2263-2967
Emails: bilelsalvador@gmail.com, bilelsalvador@aol.co.uk

A few words from the director of the British Institute of Languages, Jenny Otway:

“The British Institute of Languages is proud to announce that we are the first British Council Cambridge IELTS Exam Centre in El Salvador. Finally, this affords all Salvadorians the opportunity to receive the preparation necessary for the IELTS exam, here, in the comfort of the Institute offered by trained tutors in this specific area. The preparation has a duration of 4 months, throughout this time we ensure that students are fully prepared in all four areas of this exam using the Cambridge “Insight to IELTS Student Book, Workbook and Audio CDs, this assures students of the results that they are seeking.

Not only can students now be adequately prepared for the exam but they no longer have to encounter the expense and stress of having to travel to another country to receive the IELTS exam – the British Institute of Languages as the first test centre in El Salvador, will provide its installations for the IELTS exam, administrated and supervised by IELTS professionals from abroad.

The Cambridge IELTS exam is by far the best system offered to determine one’s proficiency in the English Language and we invite all Salvadorians to take advantage of this excellent opportunity that is finally here! The Institute is directed by British nationals who have constant contact with the British Council who are directly responsible for the running of the Cambridge IELTS exams, this close communication affords the Institute the opportunity to ensure that we offer the highest standards in the teaching and preparation of this prestigious exam.

The first IELTS exam in El Salvador will be held on the 13th December 2008 – we invite all interested students to register as soon as possible to ensure their participation in this very important event!”