Today I will touch on the topic of self-preparation for IELTS - an international exam in English language. We will highlight three important components of successful IELTS exam preparation, discuss the main mistakes and draw conclusions that will serve as advice on how to prepare for IELTS and how to pass the exam.
TOEFL or IELTS
I want to make it clear right away - depending on your goals, you should decide which test you need to take: TOEFL or IELTS.The IELTS exam tests knowledge of British English, so if you want to study, for example, in America, you should clarify: what if you need not IELTS, but TOEFL (American version).
As far as I know, most universities accept certificates for both tests, but you still need to make inquiries, if only because this exam is not a cheap pleasure.
General and Academic IELTS
IELTS exam (test) is taken by those who want to live and work (General ielts) or study (Academic ielts) abroad. In this article, I will tell you how to prepare for the IELTS test on your own.
IELTS preparation: important ingredients for success
There are important components to success in preparing for the IELTS exam.
To successfully pass an exam or get a score required at a university, you need the right attitude to prepare for this important test, In second place - IELTS preparation itself, which is different from just learning a language, and on the third again the right attitude, but this time for the correct behavior during the exam.
I took the IELTS exam three times, and the first two results did not suit me - and this despite the fact that I know and love English from school and tutor in this subject!In order not to fall into the same stupid position (an English tutor - and didn’t “pass” IELTS ?!), use my tips. Learn from others' mistakes. And you will succeed!
Now let's go directly to the description of the main mistakes made during self-preparation and passing the exam in English ielts. This information is based on personal experience, so I strongly recommend that you listen to my findings and advice on how to pass IELTS.
Mistake #1. If you know the language, then you should not worry about the test
For how many years they have been telling the world... Before the first test, I still looked at various sites, where they warned about this in the first place! But some bearish logic is at work.
Well, how! I explain such complex grammar rules, I read literature in the original, I write essays in English, I have friends with whom I communicate in English and with whom I have mutual understanding!How can I fail IELTS?! Seven? Easily! Yes, I can do eight! (Dreamy: maybe they will give a nine ...)
But the sad result at 5.5 was a low blow. And the thing is that this exam is not an ordinary test in English. And preparation for IELTS should be special. That's why I like this test so much.
Here, at the IELTS exam, it is impossible to smuggle a cheat sheet, a phone, or cheat from a friend. It values intelligence, time management, communication skills, listening skills and, most importantly, independent work and accepting responsibility for your mistakes.
After all, this is what will be useful to you in the first place when you go abroad, and not at all knowledge of complex grammatical rules. I am familiar with those who, in my opinion, know English worse than me, but scored a seven the first time.
This means only one thing: they prepared better and all the qualities described above are better developed in them than in me. A reason to move in that direction, yes.
Advice: even if you have no problems with English, start preparing for IELTS on your own at least a couple of months before the test. And not just for textbooks, “what is”, but for those that suggest how to prepare for ielts on your own.
There are a lot of sites on the Internet dedicated to preparing for IELTS. Take advantage of them.
How to prepare for IELTS on your own
We continue to analyze how to prepare for IELTS on your own.
Mistake #2. Disregard for time and structure
Not all of us have the iron 3-4 hours a day to take trial tests. It remains to be content with what is. For me it was an hour in the evenings, and then not every day.
In such an environment, when it was important for me to listen to sample listening, speaking, read reading and copy sample writing or write my own essay, I was not interested in time frames.
She wrote with a pen, not a pencil. While it is more convenient to do everything with a pencil on the exam!
As a result, during the first test, I wrote terribly slowly (with a pen faster!) And spent precious minutes on a stupid word count! It's funny, but don't make that mistake.
Better count how many words you can fit in one line. So you will be sure that you wrote the required amount.
When preparing for the IELTS exam, you should understand that in the Writing part you have 20 minutes for one task and 40 minutes for the second, 150 and 250 words, respectively.
Since I love to write, I was sure that writing would not be a problem. But the problem took place and consisted in the fact that during the exam I could not pretend to be Gogol and write a super story. And yes, there is no time for that.
All that is required of the examinee is clarity, conciseness, following the instructions. No need for water and artistic digressions, write - only on business.
The main mistake was my desire to understand every word in the text. The texts are large. Even if you understand everything, to answer the questions you will have to go back to what you read and look for the right places. This takes time.Tips on how to pass the IELTS exam successfully:
— practice writing straight away in pencil and write as quickly as possible with neat, readable handwriting;
— for each form of an essay or description of a schedule, the creation of a business letter has its own structure - this must also be taken into account;
In principle, these forms are similar, and even with a short amount of time to prepare for IELTS, you will have a clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe correct spelling, paragraph separation, which counts towards your score.
— expand your vocabulary ahead of time, not on the eve of tests. Otherwise, memorized words will become a complete mess in your head;
— master the skills of scanning (fluent reading of the text, when you read over the words and just figure out for yourself what the text is about) and (search for the desired passage in the text);
Everything, of course, depends on the task, there are some nuances, but usually the text is a page spread, or 2 A4 pages (sometimes a little more); after it comes tricky questions, the answers to which you still need to figure out, and for all this - 20 minutes.
There are three such texts. Decide for yourself.
Special IELTS test
Mistake #3. You won’t be particularly prepared for the listening and speaking parts, we are not in the language environment
Here is my special message to fellow sufferers: I had a special IELTS test for deaf people.
Since I have a large hearing loss and the matter could not be solved with headphones, I was given a special teacher who talked to me a little more slowly and read listening tapescripts (printouts of the audio version) more slowly.
But this is where the concessions end, the time frame is like everyone else. So you need to prepare for IELTS.By the way, remember: an application for a special IELTS exam is submitted three (!) months before the test, you will need to send it by e-mail copies of a document on disability, an audiogram and a medical report from a doctor from the district clinic. Also, a couple of days before the test, perhaps the manager will ask you to come to the office and submit all these documents on disability in the original.
How can we, people with hearing impairments, prepare for the IELTS test on our own? Learn to read English articulation. And understand that English accents, of which there are many, also differ in articulation.
I prepared for films (English subtitles, English audio track + headphones), and since I have IELTS ACADEMIC, I needed something more serious.
Coursera came to my rescue. org. There are wonderful subtitles for almost all video lectures on many subjects, and many free ones.
I spoke a lot of English out loud.
I combined preparation for writing (I read my essays aloud several times and retell them) and learning new words (I put each new word in context and rehearsed it too), and this all had a positive effect on listening + speaking.
Adviсe:Firstly, everything described above will be useful to hearing people. Secondly, in the process of preparing for IELTS on your own, do not be afraid to speak.
Until you become fluent in the language, you will not be able to maintain dialogue and answer questions (skills assessed in speaking, on the IELTS exam).
And without constant training, due to the differences in the speeds of Russian and English (plus accents), you will simply mix up and will not be able to adequately listen to listening.
So, I talked about self-preparation for IELTS - an English language test. I wish that my advice on how to pass the IELTS exam will be useful to you in this difficult matter. I hope I didn’t bore you, and in the future I will write a few more articles on this topic, for example, about useful and scanning. See you soon!
A few tips in hot pursuit on how to prepare for one of the most in-demand language tests. Our own and others, but all, I want to believe, useful.
This post is completely subjective. If you see an error or know better, just note this fact in the comments. The information is relevant for today and is not the ultimate truth. The photographs of the graffiti were taken in the East End.
The very first question that arises when entering a foreign university is the need to confirm your language level. By and large, on this moment there are two main certificates that are issued according to the test results: the American TOEFL and the British IELTS. Most universities accept both results, so you have a choice of which test to take.
TOEFL - for rent on computers, perhaps a little easier and cheaper.
If you still chose the British test, you have a new fork in front of you: prepare yourself or invest in training courses. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, and there is no universal advice. It all depends on your characteristics and capabilities. The main advantage of self-training is that you save money and fit classes into your schedule. The main disadvantage: not every person is able to organize himself sufficiently to devote several hours a day to self-study. And in this case, the intensity of training plays a rather important role.
As is the case with many tests, knowledge of the test itself is essential, perhaps even excessive, in IELTS. With not very good language skills, but being well coached specifically on the structure and procedure of the test, you have every chance of passing it better than a candidate with a significantly higher language level who did not bother to understand the nuances of the assessment system. So, having a limited supply of time, the first misconception that you should get rid of is that you need to prepare by learning the language “in general”.
Reading.
In addition to the obvious advice to read more in English, there are several significant details. You may not understand at all what in question but still get pretty good scores. The texts are given quite specific, for example, you can easily find an article about a certain chemical process that influenced the development of the industry, about which you and mother tongue know nothing. And guessing the whole text, whether it is a reaction, whether the material or the very fact of the discovery, is a direct path to nowhere.
It makes sense to prepare according to specialized texts prepared specifically for the test. As a rule, the paragraphs in them have the same iron structure as everything in this test. Council two: Special attention pay attention to the first and last phrase of the paragraph: they contain the whole essence of this piece of text and, with a high degree of probability, the answer to one of the test questions.
Second: you will be given writing materials, you can make any marks in the assignment: use this. It makes sense to circle all names and dates, underline all theses. Put keywords that describe this paragraph in the margins. After working through at least a dozen texts, you will learn how to do it really quickly. You should not spend more than five minutes on such a text analysis. After that, the process of answering questions comes down to finding the right piece of text in your own marking system. To do this, it is not even necessary to truly understand what is at stake. Trying to read carefully and understand the entire text is a sure way to the fact that time will end, and half of the questions will remain unanswered.
listening.
It's simple: listen as much as possible. Preferably not audiobooks, but podcasts, radio programs, some dialogue programs. The only caveat: the test writers make great money and, in general, will be happy if you return. Therefore, there are enough tricks in this part. Write with a pencil, it's allowed. And don't get distracted, even if you think you've already heard the answer. Through the phrase there may be a clarification that you should have noted. And be careful with capitalization and other grammatical subtleties: any spelling mistake reduces your correct answer to “no”.
In particular, LinguaLeo has a service for training and preparing for IELTS. The audio recording specific to the test is played once for you. It remains to enter the answers in the boxes. A great opportunity, firstly to try to meet the allotted time, and secondly, to learn the fact that any typo leads the system to the fact that it considers it a mistake.
Reading, by the way, is also provided there. Same time limit as in the real test. Same question structure. In general, if you want to feel in the shoes of a test taker, this is one of the options. In total, there are four different options on the site for those who pass Academic (for study) and the same number for General (residence permit, work).
writing.
For many, the hardest part. Again, in addition to the obvious, you need to remember the following. Evaluation is not only about how competent and reasonable your thoughts are. It's hard for us to understand, but it's only a third of the estimate. You can write complete nonsense (and what else can you write about a graph of the dependence of the age of people on their number in museums), but if your text meets the formal requirements of the test in structure and is connected (that is, in abundance of linking words), then most likely everything is fine . At the same time, if you are a native speaker and wrote wonderful story, but the formal requirements were considered unworthy of attention, most likely, they will have to return.
speaking.
Finally three hours of testing behind. You are released, there is still a conversational part ahead. You will have to hand it over either on the same day or a day later. Often, in a different place. What you can not do categorically: keep silent or admit that you do not know. This is not a formal part of the test, unlike the written stage, here you can and should speak the way you have to do in real life. But, as at all stages, the scheme by which you need to act will help you a lot. Everything flies out of your head, the vocabulary remains far in the past, smart thoughts are rapidly leaving the country, there remains only a scheme for answering any question: say what, explain why, give an example.
What color is your favorite vegetable?
In my country, it is a long tradition to grow tomatoes, and for the region where I come from, this vegetable is practically sacred in general, it is not for nothing that it is depicted on the coat of arms of one of the oldest families of our princes. Tomatoes come in many colors, but I love the classic red tomatoes.
They owe their color to a specific pigment, which is produced in the required amount only when the vegetables have enough sun.
Perhaps that is why this vegetable was so important for our ancestors, not only as a source of vitamins, but also as a symbol that the sun is always with us.
When you can immediately issue a similar text to any absolutely stupid question - all is well. Here it is not so much about the dictionary, not about specific vocabulary, not even about pronunciation. Perhaps the most difficult thing is the barrier that prevents us from carrying such nonsense mixed with lies, which in this case can be a saving way out.
Do you like surprise parties?
Bad honest answer: no, we do not accept.
Good answer: a three-minute story of continuous text about a loved one who came while you were living in Paris for work. You had a birthday that you had to spend alone. But after returning from work, you suddenly saw him / her in your room. He/she climbed up the pipe. Well, etc., until you say the long-awaited "thank you."
Practice option: ask someone close to come up with a few dozen of these questions for you. Choose randomly and use a stopwatch to ensure that you can answer any question for two minutes. Detailed. With examples. And even with a conclusion.
Spoken language training: find native speakers on Skype who are ready to communicate with you for a relatively small amount of money for several hours a week. There are native speakers who earn extra money in this way, the option is very good. How to find? Google to the rescue.
What are you more afraid of: speaking the language or talking nonsense, only you know better. But this is what should be emphasized.
Of course, self-study does not cancel additional training at school, if you have such an opportunity.
Course preparation.
If you honestly admit that organizing yourself and studying for several hours a day is difficult for you (and it is for most of us), a good option: courses.
If there is an opportunity to go to courses in England, this is an ideal plan. Immersion in the language environment in itself allows you to tune in to the test in a completely different way. In addition, the test is changing quite quickly and it is not a fact that our teachers will even get up-to-date test manuals, if only because they are not at all cheap. In addition, the test itself can be taken right there. At the latest prices, moreover, it turns out that it is a little cheaper than, for example, in Moscow.
In general, when choosing a place to take a test, one should take into account such a moment that the center can discredit itself in the system, and the certificates issued by it will be canceled. In particular, therefore, in this post there is no advice to go to conditional Albania and stupidly buy the results. Although such a service in our colorful world is also provided.
And the most main advice which cannot be overestimated: do not be nervous. There are hundreds of people around you, for many of them their whole life depends on the results. Your fingerprints are taken all the way and during the test your passport is checked all the time. Relax and enjoy: it's just an adventure, and not that expensive.
Only a person who has taken IELTS many times, but still has not achieved the desired result, will be able to understand what is written in this article. None of the native speakers, examiners and test center staff will be able to understand you, but believe me, you are not alone in your experiences! I am the author of this project, and I, too, at certain points in my life with IELTS, felt exactly as shown in this image.
If this also represents your feelings towards the IELTS test,then this article is just for you!
It should be noted right away that the article was written for motivation purposes, so that you can make sure from the personal experience of the author of the site that absolutely any goal in IELTS is achievable, even a score of 9.0, if you choose the right strategy.
If you are more interested in the reasons for the unsuccessful delivery of IELTS and how to solve this problem, then we recommend that you refer to the articles:
How I Passed IELTS 9.0
My name is Irina Bruce. I am an IELTS fan and have devoted my entire life to working with IELTS. However, this was not always the case. I got my first nines in Speaking and Writing at the age of 18. On that moment I studied English for only 2 years. I didn't have any special talents for languages, quite the contrary - my favorite subjects at school were mathematics and physics.
Accordingly, I once walked the same path that you are now going through, and, probably, I understand the emotions that people have after repeated attempts to get the desired IELTS score more than anyone else. Why me? Because as of this writing I took IELTS 68 times.
My first IELTS is August 24, 1996.
The last one is August 17, 2013.
It was through my personal relationship with the IELTS test and experience of self-study that I was able to create this project, and now it helps thousands of people significantly reduce their IELTS journey from repeated failures to passing the test the first time. Hope it helps you too!
IELTS is not a business, it's personal!
When I was 16 years old (1996) I had to take IELTS to enter a college in England. At that time, I studied English for only a month and a half in the UK, and, given my age, I naively believed that I knew everything and could do everything.
I did not prepare for IELTS, because then there was no such thing as "preparing for IELTS", in addition - I was confident in my abilities, because I only needed a score of 6.0, and the level of English was already Advanced.
What was my surprise to get a score of 5.5, of which there was a score of 4.0 in Reading!
And I loved reading so much.
I started to figure out what the problem was, but there was no one who could help me at the time. Then IELTS in this format existed for only 1 year and there were no specialists, no courses, no books. Then there was not even the Internet, what can I say ..?
That's when I decided to figure things out on my own and discovered that IELTS is more than just an English language test.
IELTS is a brilliant creation of British specialists not only in the field of linguistics, but also in psychology and marketing. It is unlikely that an exam will ever be invented that could also qualitatively test all aspects of English proficiency.
But, despite all my love for the creators of IELTS, I understand that for you, as for most people, IELTS is just an obstacle that does not allow you to achieve your desired goal.
For me personally, the stumbling block in IELTS was time management and inattention.
I am a perfectionist by nature, and I don’t know how to do anything, so I rewrite, proofread, correct and re-read 100 times each of my work. But this is just a terrible quality for passing IELTS, where the time frame does not allow you to achieve perfection.
At the same time, my inattention has always led and leads to ridiculous mistakes, typos and related consequences.
These shortcomings not only affected my IELTS scores, making it incredibly difficult for me to get a 9.0 in IELTS Writing, but they continue to be reflected even in the articles you read on this site, because. I had to learn Russian again after 6 years of study in England.
When I see student feedback on gday.ru, for example, or on other forums and on LiveJournal about how people easily get IELTS 8.0 or even 9.0 in some parts, it's always fun to read how they talk about it. Like, “I didn’t really prepare, I came and passed IELTS by 8.5 on the first try.”
At such moments, I imagine what other people think, who prepared for IELTS in all possible and impossible ways, but still can not get their seven.
So, ladies and gentlemen, those people who pass IELTS at 8.0 and above the first time are people who:
a) live in an English speaking country,
b) speak English at the level of a native speaker,
c) prepare well for IELTS,
d) they were lucky with the tasks.
Therefore, do not believe the fairy tales that you can pass IELTS with a high score without any effort.
Yes, after two years of trying to pass, I was able to reach 9.0 in IELTS, but how much time, nerves and money was invested in this is known only to my parents, who financed such a hobby.
Now I have international qualifications for teaching English, etc., but I received all these achievements already AFTER I overcame IELTS and even after I started teaching it. Moreover, I got interested in various theories regarding teaching English, in particular thanks to IELTS, in order to find out which of them are the most effective for preparing for this exam.
That is why the preparation for IELTS in my school is fundamentally different from all other courses on the market. I first took IELTS just like you do now and went all the way from 5.5 to 9.0 as an ordinary Russian-speaking person without any outstanding abilities in languages.
When I was able to achieve my desired goal in IELTS on my own, I began to learn how to teach by doing. And when I already learned how to do it, I received certificates, qualifications, diplomas, etc.
The rest of the IELTS teachers do exactly the opposite. First they learn teaching theory, then they practice, and only then do some of them take IELTS, at best a couple of times.
The biggest secret to success in IELTS
They say there is one step from hate to love and vice versa, BUT I do not suggest that you fall in love with IELTS as I do. I don't even suggest removing negative emotions in relation to the next unsuccessful passing of the test, because you have every right to be indignant after so much effort already made.
I just want to show you the most main secret IELTS: how to confidently, accurately, guarantee to pass the test for the score you need.
There he is:
Your English level must be 1 point higher than the required level
Those. If you want to pass every part of IELTS with a 7.0 score, your English level should be 8.0.
Everything. There are no other secrets.
It would seem that this is obvious, but despite this, people still go to take the test again and again, hoping for "maybe lucky", because I did tasks for 7.0 at home (in the classroom, with a teacher). Yes, you might get lucky. For example, today you'll be lucky to get 7.0 in Speaking, but fail in Writing. Another time, on the contrary - and so on ad infinitum! Well, or when you're lucky in all four modules.
If you do not want to spend money on multiple test passes, hoping for luck, then there is only one way out - learn English!
Now a logical question arises - how to teach it in order to achieve such high level knowledge and skills? And most importantly, how long will it take?
By the time I know from personal experience and from the experience of thousands of students whom I prepared for the test: from one month (!) To infinity.
Unlike various exact sciences, foreign language cannot be fully learned or known perfectly. After all, this is not only a way of communication, but more importantly, a different mentality, a different culture, a completely different way of life and way of thinking. For example, the British think differently than we do. All this is reflected in their language. For the same reason, there is a huge difference between American English and British English. After all, different cultures different way thinking and, for this reason, a different principle of using even the same expressions, although the roots of the language are the same.
For a Russian-speaking person, it will be easier to understand this if, for example, we compare Russia and Ukraine. It seems that we are all Slavs, but still the way of life and culture of each of these countries affects us in different ways.
CONCLUSION: There are two ways to achieve the desired level of English proficiency: fast and slow.
Fast way: 1 month to 2 months
There is only one way to do this - to England.
Not to Malta, not to Canada, not even to Scotland, but to England.
Perhaps some of you have already been there for work or on tour. Some may even have lived there, BUT it's not just about going to England, it's about what to do there during that time.
Slow way: 6 months to 2 years
This is the way to learn English in the CIS.
This can be even more expensive financially than traveling to England for a month, given how much $ you spend on teachers, courses and materials. The only difference is that this amount will stretch over a longer period.
Do I need to say that fast way more efficient and profitable? And you understand that our school does not send students to the UK, so I am writing this only for the reason that I myself went through this.
Although my first IELTS test was an overall score of 5.5, I already achieved a 7.0 in Speaking after just 6 weeks of studying the language in England. If I knew the format of the test, I could get 7.0 in other parts as well. This was confirmed already after 3 months, when during the second test I had results from 7.0 to 8.0 on each part of the test and an average score of 7.5.
English or IELTS?
Perhaps your level of English is already 1 point higher than the results you get in IELTS. In such cases, the problem is not with your English, but solely with the format of the test. This does not necessarily mean that you do not know the IELTS format. This most likely means that you have learned too much "harmful" information on IELTS, which is filled with the Internet. Or even worse - you could prepare for IELTS with people who are very distantly related to IELTS, as a result of which they give completely inadequate information on the test. home page and choose another preparation strategy from the suggested picture boxes.
In these difficult times, it is worth investing time and money in yourself. Why? Well, there are several options: we want to improve our lives by going abroad, find an additional source of income, or increase our importance in the labor market.
That is why learning English is the best investment. Getting an IELTS English proficiency certificate would be a smart and wise decision. It will not depreciate under any inflation, it will help you in all respects, and you will occupy your head with something useful and productive. So let's talk about it!
What is the IELTS or The International English Language Testing System English exam and why should I take it?
- Firstly, it is a world-respected document confirming your knowledge of the English language. The IELTS certificate is recognized in all English-speaking countries, as well as in European countries. The exception will be the USA, where TOEFL is more respected (by the way, here's more about international exams). In any case, such certificates sometimes mean more than a diploma from a linguistic university of a domestic standard.
- Secondly, if you are going to emigrate to another country, then such a certificate is not something that will help you - it is required. When obtaining a residence permit, looking for a job, and other everyday little things.
- Thirdly, without a certificate it is almost impossible to get a grant, or simply enter a foreign university. It doesn't matter if you want to enter the first year of the university or continue your studies there in the master's program, you must show proof that you can understand the information in English.
- And fourthly, even if you are not going anywhere, an IELTS certificate can be useful when applying for a job in an international company.
How to prepare for IELTS
Experience shows that a thorough preparation for the international IELTS exam, starting from the English Intermediate level, requires from 3-4 months to 1 year - it all depends on the intensity with which your classes will be held. 4 months of preparation, for which it is only possible to submit the exam itself, is considered the minimum period of time that allows the candidate to raise his score by one or more, i.e. significantly change the potential grade for the exam.
You can prepare for the exam in the following ways:
- On my own, while going through a bunch of sites on the Internet and shoveling a huge amount of material to prepare for IELTS. You can also purchase one of teaching aids. For example, Objective IELTS from Cambridge University Press.
- Find a tutor who will individually guide you through all the thorns of preparing and passing the exam itself. But do not forget to make sure that the tutor himself has passed the test and knows all the necessary subtleties.
- Enroll in IELTS preparation courses anywhere language center. Usually they take from 2 to 4 months.
If you choose to prepare for IELTS on your own, we can advise you to use the following books:
1. "Insight into IELTS", Vanessa Jakeman and Clare McDowell;
2. "How to pass IELTS", E.P. Protasenya;
3. "101 Helpful Hints for IELTS", Garry Adams;
4. "Cambridge IELTS Practice Tests 1-9";
5. "IELTS Preparation and Practice", Oxford Collection.
Whether you're looking for language courses or private tutoring, we offer an IELTS preparation course through our online ED Class platform.
On the individual lessons with a teacher, you can only make out the most necessary material for IELTS preparation in vocabulary, speaking, listening and writing, which is 100% useful to you. The course consists of 30 lessons of 50 minutes each. Required level of language proficiency before preparation: Intermediate (take our level determination test).
You can also take advantage of our IELTS exam preparation course to help you prepare for the IELTS exam on your own. This course will be an excellent assistant in your preparation for one of the oldest and most prestigious exams in the world. You will learn about structure, proper preparation and get the necessary practice in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Structure of IELTS
There are 2 versions of the test − academic &General. Those intending to emigrate will need to obtain a General IELTS certificate. To study abroad, you must pass Academic IELTS.
The test consists of four sections or modules that assess basic language skills:
. listening- listening (30 min).
. Reading- reading (60 min).
. Writing- letter (60 min).
. Speaking - colloquial speech: interview, interview (11-14 min).
Listening and Speaking are the same for both Academic and General versions. But reading and writing will be different.
The total duration of the exam is 2 hours 45 minutes.
How is the exam
As a rule, the IELTS exam is held in the morning and afternoon. Be sure to arrive half an hour early to check in. It is important to have your passport with you. You will then be taken to an auditorium where the test itself will take place. On your table there will be a card with a surname and a photo. One person sits at the desk. At the very beginning of the exam, they will tell you about its rules and explain the essence of the tasks.
Part Listening
After the examiner explains the organizational issues, the audition will begin. You will receive booklets with questions and answer options. For half an hour you will listen to various dialogues, situations, etc. The difficulty lies in the fact that after each text you will be given only 30 seconds to check the answers. So, you will have to answer while listening to the materials. When all the texts have been read, you will have 10 minutes to enter the answers on a special form.
Part Reading
Immediately after listening, you will start reading the texts. In 1 hour you will have to analyze 3-5 materials (depending on whether it is Academic or General test). All response options should be carefully considered. Take your time and try to understand what exactly they want from you.
Part Writing
You have to complete 2 written tasks: write an essay and express your opinion (give an example from life, etc.). No more than 30 minutes are allotted for each task. As practice shows, many simply do not have time to write texts due to the fact that they first transfer their thoughts to a draft. But it is extremely important to observe a clear structure with a logical introduction and conclusion.
Speaking part
First, you will get to know the examiner and chat on common topics and then you have to discuss certain life problem. Nothing complicated, the main thing is not to be silent and speak confidently.
How IELTS is assessed
The IELTS exam scoring uses a grading system from 0.0 to 9.0 and your IELTS score will consist of scores for each of the four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking, and an overall average score will be given.
The evaluation criteria are as follows:
| Level | points (per ability) |
Test results for each ability | |||
| Speaking | listening | Reading (General Training) | Writing (General Training) | ||
| high | First official language: 4 | 6.5 - 9.0 | 7.5 - 9.0 | 6.5 - 9.0 | 6.5 - 9.0 |
| Second official language: 2 | |||||
| Moderate | Either official language: 2 | 5.5 - 6.0 | 5.5 - 7.0 | 5.0 - 6.0 | 5.5 - 6.0 |
| Basic | Either official language: 1 (maximum of 2) | 4.0 - 5.0 | 4.5 - 5.0 | 3.5 - 4.5 | 4.0 - 5.0 |
| no | 0 | less than 4.0 | less than 4.5 | less than 3.5 | less than 4.0 |
listening- evaluated by the number of correct answers to the questions for listening. You should pay attention to the correct spelling of words, as a mistake in a word will cause the point for this answer to not be counted, even if you answered essentially correctly.
Reading- is evaluated in the same way as Listening - by the number of correct answers to questions to texts.
Writing evaluated according to several criteria:
- TA/TR (Task Achievement Task Response): Fulfillment (Context). In a word, content.
- CC: Clearance (Cohesion/Coherence). How clearly the ideas are expressed.
- LR: Vocabulary (Lexical Resource). Vocabulary and the ability to use it are assessed.
- GRA: Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The grammatical construction of sentences and spelling are assessed.
Speaking- the communication skills of a person are assessed, i.e. it is not so much the knowledge of the English language that is assessed, but the communication skill during which English is used. Speaking is assessed based on four parameters, each of which carries 25% of the score: Fluency and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation.
| Fluency | Talking at length Talking without pauses or hesitations Talking without self-correction Able to be understood Using link devices |
| Lexical resource | Using a range of words & paraphrasing Using collocations Using less common vocabulary Avoiding errors |
| Grammar Range & Accuracy | Using a range of sentence structures Using a range of grammar tenses Avoiding errors |
| Pronunciation | Able to be understood throughout the test Able to use intonation Accent does not affect understanding Accurate word and sound pronunciation |
Exam results are valid for two years.
Where can I take the exam
The British Council is the official organization that accepts and issues certificates of successful completion of the exam. On the British Council website, you can choose the country where you live and the city in which it is easiest for you to take the exam. Also there you can find out how to choose the date of the exam, register, pay, and other organizational issues.
There is also additional information that you should read before getting started. Of course, you should visit the official IELTS website.
Conclusion
Who is the IELTS exam for? The international IELTS test is designed to assess the level of English proficiency of everyone who wants to study or work in English-speaking countries. Only IELTS takes into account the different goals of the candidate, offering 2 exam formats: Academic Module (IELTS Academic) and General Module (IELTS General).
Why IELTS? Now the international certificate in English IELTS is recognized by more than 9,000 organizations in 140 countries, including universities, professional organizations, immigration agencies and others government agencies, in countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and many others.
The developers of the IELTS exam are international organizations, leaders in knowledge assessment: Cambridge English Language Assessment, IDP: IELTS Australia and The British council.
We hope that we helped you understand the nuances and now you can prepare for IELTS. Best regards and good luck!
Big and friendly family EnglishDom
Thousands of students make the same mistakes every year that end up failing IELTS. And today we will talk about the most common mistakes when passing the international exam in English IELTS.
1. Wrong approach to learning.
First of all, you must understand why you should take IELTS. This is done so that you can communicate freely in English. By reading literature and communicating in English, you strengthen your skills freehold language.
However, some students simply try to memorize texts or dialogues so that they can monotonously answer the exam later. Be sure that the examiner will immediately determine whether you speak fluent English or "memorized".
By the way, if you do not know how much it costs to pass IELTS, then you can get information on the certification center website. The cost of passing IELTS in Moscow is 15,000 - 20,000 rubles.
No need to waste time on rote memorization. Of course, this method can be applied to grammar and other tasks. But in order to speak English fluently, you should practice more: reading, speaking and listening English speech. This approach will ensure you a good exam score.
2. Misunderstanding of the task.
Perfect punctuation and spelling do not guarantee the highest marks in a written task, just like vocabulary and pronunciation in Speaking. When you visit an IELTS center, your task is to convince the examiner that you fully understand the content, are able to present clear arguments and think literally in English.
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In addition, you must clearly know the requirements of the examiners. To do this, try to get more information about your IELTS test center and its teachers.
With classes of 30-40 minutes, you can work for a long time and without noticeable fatigue. However, during IELTS Time you will have to take Reading and Writing at the same time. At the same time, much more time is allotted for this and you need to fit into it.
During the exam, you will work at an intensive pace for an hour and a half. Therefore, you should prepare in advance for such loads and ask your tutor for help in passing IELTS.
4. Banal inattention.
Assignments in the exam can often be repeated, so it is very easy to miss or make a mistake in the correctness of your choice. Try not to rush when reading the assignment. It is better to answer the questions a little longer, but correctly. After all, early completion of the test does not provide you with bonus points or other benefits.
And if you don’t know if IELTS is difficult to pass, then you can always take preliminary testing online.
5. Spelling.
It is very difficult to avoid at least one mistake in the exam. A spelling mistake is a lost ball. Therefore, constantly practice grammar tasks and write dictations. Take as much time as you can to prepare.
6. Pronunciation and intonation Speaking.
If you still have a pronounced accent, then this will not affect the assessment in any way. However, if you pronounce the words incorrectly and place the stress in the wrong place, then you are unlikely to succeed in passing Speaking.
In communication, intonation is more important than even correct pronunciation. And to improve your speech, watch more films in English, listen to podcasts and communicate in English as often as possible. This practice will allow you to reach the next level of language proficiency much faster.
7. Small activity of the student.
This applies more to the Speaking part. Sometimes the examiner has to conduct the conversation himself so that the student does not remain silent. If you are overly shy, it will still lower your score, even though you know the correct answer.
Therefore, have an active conversation with the examiner to show your level of knowledge and excellent command of spoken English. After all, the next time IELTS pass for free will not work. You will have to sign up again and pay money.
