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IELTS Preparation tips

The best ways to study for the four IELTS sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking

3 Top Problems in IELTS Listening With Solutions

3 Top Problems in IELTS Listening On Computer With Solutions

When you are taking the Listening test on a computer, even if you are a reasonably confident English listener, chances are you will experience at least one of these problems.

Today Robert Nicholson, a former IELTS examiner and co-author of the “High Scorer’s Choice” IELTS practice book series, shares a way for you to deal with these problems. Make sure not to miss the Bonus Tip at the end!

 

Short on time? Here is a quick summary:

Problem 1 – Losing track of the recording and missing several answers in a row

How to avoid losing track of the recording

Keeping up with the recording is a problem for many people. It’s easy to get lost and miss a few answers in a row. To prevent that, always read not one, but TWO questions ahead and keep thinking of the two things you are listening for.

For example, there is a form to fill in. In question 2 a house number is missing, and in question 3 a year is missing. You should keep thinking: “I need to hear a house number and then a year”. Even if you miss the house number, when you hear a year you will know you are up to question 3. It will stop you losing more than one question’s answer. Be selective about things you are listening for.

How to move between questions in the correct order, to avoid skipping questions by accident

Make your eyes zigzag from left to right when answering multiple choice questions. This is because the first question appears on the left side of the screen, and the next one is on the right side. Then, the following question is on the left again, and the one after it is on the right. Many people automatically look only at the questions on the left, and don’t notice the questions on the right until it’s too late, the recording has moved on, and they missed all the answers to questions on the right side.

How to move your eyes in the IELTS Listening test on computer

Problem 2 – Rushing and choosing the answer too soon

Listen until the very end, because the answer might change. Often you hear the speaker mention one answer option, but then they decide on another. For example. Sandra and Roger are talking about the platform where their train stops. Sandra thinks her train stops at platform four, but then Roger says it’s changed to platform seven. If you select the answer too early, you may select four, when the correct answer is seven.

Problem 3 – Lack of time to read all the questions before the recording starts.

At the start of every part of the listening test you are given some time to read the questions. This time feels very short. To give yourself more time, here is what you can do. When Part 1 ends, you get some time to check your answers. Instead of checking your answers, skip to Part 2 and start reading the questions there. It doubles your time! Do the same when Part 2 ends. Instead of checking your answers, skip to Part 3 and start reading the questions there. What about checking your answers? At the end of the Listening test, you get 2 minutes to check your answers, and that is when you can do it.

Visit IELTS Online Prep platform to practice for IELTS on Computer

Bonus Tip – How to Check Your Answers

At the end of the Listening test everyone gets two minutes to check their answers, but not many people know how to do that, to maximise their score. Checking whether or not you’ve chosen the correct year, house number, amount of money or person’s name is not easy, because you probably won’t remember them. By the time you get to Part 4, what you heard in Part 1 has evaporated from your memory. But there are other important things to check for in your answers. These things, if not fixed, can cancel a perfectly correct answer. So, when checking your answers, look at 3 things.

1. Word count. Check the instructions to see how many words are allowed, and make sure that your answers do not exceed that limit.

2. Spelling. It is important, because a correct answer that is misspelled will be marked as incorrect.

3. The answers you left blank. You don’t lose points for incorrect answers, so it is better to guess than leave anything blank. If your guess is correct, you’ve gained one mark, and if it’s incorrect, you’ve lost nothing, so it makes sense to do that in the final two minutes of the Listening test.

A very special thank you to Jessica Beck from the IELTS Energy podcast for having Robbie as a guest on the show.

IELTS Writing Task 1 – How to Write a Band 9 IELTS Letter

Imagine for a minute that on your test day, this Writing Task 1 topic lands on your desk:

You recently received a letter from your bank that should have contained a new credit card. Unfortunately, the card was not in the letter. Write a letter to your bank manager.

In your letter,

– explain what has happened
– suggest the credit card should be cancelled for security reasons
– ask when a new credit card can be sent to you.

How do you write a high-scoring response? Here is what’s important:

1. Write about ALL the bullet points

In the task prompt you’re being asked to explain what happened, suggest that the card should be cancelled and ask for a new card. If you were to forget to ask for a new card in your letter, you would never get a high score for it, even if everything else was perfect. A mistake like that would drop your score for Task Achievement to Band 5, and even with Band 7 for the other criteria, your overall score would be just Band 6.5.

2. Choose the right tone – and maintain it

To know what the right tone is, you need to understand whether this letter should be formal or informal. A formal letter is one that you’re writing to a person you don’t know, or don’t know well. A good example of a person you don’t know would be a manager of a company you never met, an employee at the bank or a newsletter editor. A person you don’t know well can be your landlord – you know their name, but you haven’t met more than a couple of times. It can also be your less-than-friendly neighbour, your boss or your travel agent. A letter to such person should have a formal tone, whereas a letter to a friend should be informal.

What makes the difference between a formal and an informal letter? The main thing is the vocabulary you use. Some words or expressions that you would use in a letter to a friend aren’t appropriate to use in a letter to your boss – makes sense, right? Compare the two sentences below:

Informal: “My workmate was so cross with me, he wouldn’t even speak to me.”
Formal: “My colleague was frustrated with my behaviour to the extent that all communication between us stopped”.

Another important rule is to maintain the right tone throughout the entire letter. It is enough to accidentally slip a few informal words into a formal letter to ruin the right tone, and that reveals to the examiner that you don’t really know the difference between formal and informal vocabulary.

3. Use paragraphing

By using paragraphing you’re doing yourself a favour just as much as pleasing the examiner. With paragraphing is it easier to avoid off-topic pieces of content. Since every paragraph should only have ONE main idea, by dedicating a separate paragraph to every bullet point you are making sure you covered them all, and it’s easier for you to stay on the same topic for the duration of that paragraph.

According to the Writing Task 1 Band Descriptors, it is impossible to get Band 8 for Coherence and Cohesion if you’re not using paragraphing correctly, so if you’re aiming at Band 8+, paragraphing is a must.

4. Sign off correctly

The way you sign off on your letter matters. A letter to a friend can be signed off with “Love, Richard”, “Hugs, Jennifer” or “Take care, Tom”. A letter to someone you don’t know should be signed off with “Yours faithfully” and a letter to someone whose name you know should be signed off with “Yours sincerely”.

Are you ready for the model response? Here it comes:

Model Answer

Dear Sir / Madam,

I recently requested a new credit card, as my old one was stolen during a holiday abroad. Even though the letter usually containing the credit card and its respective access information arrived on time, the credit card was missing and I would like to report this to you.

When the letter arrived, no visible signs were evident that the letter had been opened, but when I inspected the letterhead closely, there were small scratches that could indicate tampering. I believe that for security reasons this newly requested credit card should be cancelled immediately in order to avoid any criminal use. It may have been a technical issue, but it is also possible that a thief was responsible.

Lastly, I would like to know when a new credit card will be sent to me, as I will be going on a business trip in the near future and need it urgently.

Yours faithfully,

Robert Bolton