IELTS preparation tips from winners

Today I am delighted to share with you the tips we received from Raghu – the winner of ‘Best IELTS results’ competition in May.

Here’s what Raghu recommends to anyone looking to get a high score in IELTS:

“I am excited to be selected a winner for May 2012. Thank you! My overall score in the IELTS test (General Training) is band 8.5.

Coming from India, I have been a regular user of the English language since childhood. I have been an avid reader of magazines and
newspapers with articles covering diverse topics such as politics, science and the arts. This long association with and love for the
widely-spoken language are really the reasons for me to come out with flying colours in the IELTS test.

Test takers can consider the below practical advice for improving their scores –

1. Usage of idioms: I have always found using idioms very useful in conveying a thought effectively. The number of idioms in use is quite large. But with some amount of practice, you can find yourself using them in a variety of situations in a matter of days. There are several websites that provide guidance on usage of idioms.

2. When in doubt about usage of a phrase or word, avoid it altogether. The reason for avoiding them could be difficulty in right
pronunciation or spelling or proper usage. At the least, this strategy will help preserve what you have already scored in the writing or speaking test.

3. Watch good English language television and radio channels. You can of course include watching the several IELTS-related videos available on video sharing websites such as YouTube. This does a world of good to your preparations for the final test and with minimal effort.

4. I have come across many candidates who find the speaking test the most difficult. More often than not, the reason is that they come from a completely non-English speaking background. The only way to overcome this problem is to speak with good English-speakers. Do this as often as possible – on a daily basis if you have the opportunity to do so.

5. Know the difference between words that are spelt or pronounced similarly with different meanings. They are called homonyms and homophones (you wouldn’t be asked for a definition though).

6. Do all you can to drop your native accent. That said, it is equally unproductive to acquire and use a foreign accent. Just try to follow a neutral accent.

7. I would also suggest using shorter sentences if constructing longer ones aren’t your cup of tea (that’s an idiom, go research the meaning!).

8. Find and install a good dictionary on your computer (I would highly recommend Wordweb). You may choose to use a physical dictionary as well. Whichever way you choose, always keep the dictionary handy. This will help you look up and research words as soon as you encounter an interesting word.

9. There are mainly three versions of English in vogue worldwide – British, American and Australian English. Is any one version preferred over the others ? I posed my doubt to the guide during a British Council preparatory session. He said each one is as good as the other two – no preference. But he insisted that I follow one of the versions consistently in the test, else it could cost you marks !

10. Lastly, try to make use of all the resources available to you. It can be any of the vast array of books available for purchase, the free British Council library access, a friend who speaks good English or the slew of free online resources.

I would urge my IELTS candidate friends to go ahead and use the English language as often as possible and in different situations. To achieve above average scores, it also helps if you love and appreciate the language.

Keep practising and wish all the IELTS-Blog.com fans taking the test good luck and success.”

Today I am happy to share with you some advice we received from two people with a high IELTS score (Band 8!). Our competition winners, Zachary from the Philippines and Elona from Romania sent a few important tips that may help you achieve a better score.

Zachary said:

“I am immensely grateful for this blog site. I only reviewed for a week so I never really expected to get a total band score of 8 and even 9 for the speaking part.

My study technique and strategy would involve a lot of test questions from www.IELTS-Blog.com. The sample test questions that were sent to my e-mail really helped a lot.

Listening – listen, listen and listen! Practice, practice and practice! Scan the questions in advance then focus on them as you listen to the audio recording.

Reading – read, scan, skim and read more! Read the questions and go back to the article/literary piece and find the appropriate answer/s.

Writing – write and write more then time yourself! Practice writing based on the sample topics from IELTS-Blog.com. I used the topics or subjects that are sent into my e-mail from IELTS-Blog and indeed, one of the topics that I practiced turned out to be the actual topic for my essay in part 2 of the writing test. A thesaurus and a dictionary may also come in handy as you check your practice work.

Speaking – speak in front of the mirror! Be courteous, be polite, be confident and provide appropriate response based on your experience in order to have a smooth flow of conversation. Find simple yet appropriate answers to the questions. Try to avoid complex sentences that you are not sure of using because it could lead to very long pauses and unnecessary fillers which could result in a lower score for the speaking test.

I hope all of you will get a band score of 9! Good luck!”

Elona said

“Your blog helped me a lot. Here’s some advice I would give to those sitting the exam:

The most important advice I could give to anyone sitting the exam is to be familiar with the test and the types of exercises. I actually used only preparation books for certain skills (Reading and Writing skills) and only in the last week solved practice tests.

Second of all, it’s important to be prepared. This does not necessary mean you need to practice day and night for a few months, but rather work for at least 30 minutes in the last month and a half – of course, the time you need depends on your English level and the score you’re aiming to achieve.

Also, it’s very important to know what are your strengths and your weak points. Personally, before starting to prepare for the test, I was very scared by the Reading part. So, I began my preparation exactly with this part. I think it was a good strategy, because eventually my highest score was in Reading.

Additionally, try to practice as much as possible for the Speaking part. You’re likely to be emotional at the interview, so being comfortable speaking in English is vital. It would be great if you could ask a native speaker of the language to help you, or at least someone who knows English better than you. Use the exercises from the IELTS blog, they are exactly the type of questions you’ll have in your test. And do not memorize any answer by heart -you’ll be too nervous to remember it then.

Finally, write as many essays as possible to become fluent in expressing your ideas and remember that you have a time limit. It’s best to stick to it, because the last thing you need during the test is to panic about not having enough time – it can be very tricky. Again, the exercises forms the IELTS blog are great for helping you with this part. Good luck!”