Successful IELTS candidate from Nigeria shares his strategies for Band 7.5
If you need Band 7.5 in IELTS, Promise has some advice for you. When we announced the winners of our monthly IELTS results competition and invited them to share their best tips, he was quick to tell us how he scored Band 7.5 – and how YOU can, too. Promise said,
“First things first, I would like to express my intense gratitude to Simone Braverman and the entire IELTS-Blog.com team for granting me the opportunity to hold my head high along with the other IELTS results competition winners.
In my opinion, this exam is more of a game than an exam, and if you have the right set of strategies, you will excel. I came across IELTS-Blog.com website some days prior to my exam, and I decided to follow their tips and strategies. It would be a burden on my conscience if I didn’t recommend their books to the other candidates.
For the Reading module: read the questions before moving on to the passage in order to get a quick glimpse of the passage, skim and scan as quickly as you can, however, don’t waste too much time on any particular question. Try to complete as much Cambridge past exams as you can, and lastly, be optimistic from the start of the module to the end.
For the Writing module: write as much as you can before the test date! Always plan your answer before you start writing. Ensure that you have a paragraph for every main point and always provide some supporting details to back up your main points. Do not forget to write your conclusion in every essay. Also, never forget to write your thesis statement so that the examiner won’t find it hard to go through your work.
For the Listening module: my biggest advice to all candidates is to conquer their fears of the accent the speaker might have! Listen to popular English radio stations like BBC, CNN and so on. Try to go over as many listening practice tests as you can. Never fall prey to the speaker, because sometimes they correct themselves!
Lastly, the Speaking module: I, for one, used to be petrified at the thought of having a one-on-one conversation with a native speaker, up until I came across this blog. When speaking to yourself, always speak in English! Watch a lot of foreign movies, and try to imitate their way of speaking. On the test day, make sure you ponder over your answer before responding to the examiner, to avoid confusion during your speech. Don’t be nervous, instead see the examiner as a close friend you’re communicating with.
I may not be perfect, but I hope this helps someone whose test date is pending!’
