We will share in this article, How to Prepare for IELTS? Bear in mind these Guidelines are provided by Lydia Moin Rash, she has recently took her IELTS exam. We are thankful to her for sharing these guidelines.
As i mentioned in my post earlier i aint a pro at this but im going to put in my study strategy here for all those who are yet to take IELTS.Im sure any tip may be helpful at this point of time as i went thru the same phase hence i can totally relate to it.Im going to try and share my experience here..Hope that would be of some help to all out there..
Ok so heres how i started….to begin with my preperation time was hardly a week ! But i wouldnt really suggest you do that…Personaly speaking Id say give your IELTS preparation time atleast 2 weeks..The sources i used to study was only and only ieltsonlinetest.com and https://magoosh.com/ielts/
I dint do any cambridge books whatsoever…it was just hardcore practice tests throughout 1 week…
Listening –
Having been educated in a school that followed british curriculum with the majority of student being english….listening wasnt a major issue for me as i was well versed with the accent…this part requires complete focus and concentration as the recordings are played only ONCE….and this is one area u can score a complete band 9 if practiced well…So the key to acing this part is just practice practice practice…i used to practice around 4-6 listening tests a day…which was timed…the more you practice you come in flow with the conversation.Last not the least make sure you read the questions well before answering…in question NOT MORE THAN THREE WORDS….you are expected to write 3 or lesser words from the conversation context ONLY !but not more…In certain questions that involved a date and number…they would have mentioned NOT MORE THAN ONE WORD/ AND OR ONE NUMBER…make sure u understand this question welll….because most people tend to get confused wether to write 5th JUNE or just 5th…so in this scenario whre they ask you for a date…u can very well mention 5th JUNE because u can use one word ,AND/OR one number…So be careful about that…
Reading –
Now this was one are which was next to impossible for me to crack during my practice tests coz i never scored above 7 on an average…The key to scoring here is…DO NOT READ THE ENTIRE PASSAGE OR TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT ! Scan the passage quickly so u get a quick idea of what it is all about..then you read the questions and try to mark the keywords…skim the passage for the keywords and ur sure to find the answers…Read only the sentences you find the keywords in coz they will have your answers.For matching headings you might have to read the passage entirely…If you can manage to score an average of 7 in your practice tests…you are sure to score a 7 or above in your fair exam as the real exams and examiners are more liberal and lineant.
Writing –
Here comes the the most terrifying of all for most candidates…It was for me too but honestly..not to the extend of reading as far as i was concerned.I followed many posts and tips for writing but ultimately when it came to studying…i followed my own pattern for this coz too many inputs were clogging my mind and crashing my confidence wondering as to if im doing enough.Hence i followed my own strategy..To begin with i learnt and understood the structure of writing which includes PARAPHRASING,BODY PARA 1 WITH EXAMPLES,BODY PARA 2 WITH EXAMPLES AND CONCLUSION PARA.I read on tips for each of the above mentioned…from maghoosh…and applied it practically..I did not write 100s of essays nor did i use any correction service…but i READ 100s of essays.I used an IELTS WRITING app on my phone and used to keep reading different essay which enhanced my ideas and patterns.WIth more reading and understanding i learnt paraphrasing and conclusions..I also realised that using connectors were essential…such as HOWEVER,CONSEQUENTLY,FIRSLT,NEVERTHELESS,WHEREAS etc.Usinf words like TO CONCLUDE,TO SUM UP,IN CONCLUSION in the concluding paragraph is important too.
Good vocabulary definetly shoots ur scores up but fancy words used in wrong contexts would only drop your scores…I used to pick up lots of new words whenevr i watched english movies and look up the meanings and apply them in daily day to day conversations which helped me apply them in my essays.So please use good vocabulary if you are sure about them..if not kindly refrain from using them as they can reduce your scores.I shall post the pic of the essay structure i followed here…What i realized was that…if you follow the below structure,appropriate paraphrasing and conclusions,good grammar and ideas….a band 7 is sure…as they arent looking for high vocabulary or classic literature….they just want you to know the basic concept and if you can absorb that…you can definetly crack it.
Speaking –
This dint require any practice for me as my first language at home itself is English..But for those not fluent in this area i would recommend practicing with partners..watch english movies…this would enhance your speaking flow and finally…just speak with CONFIDENCE !…your aim is to keep the conversation flowing…hence do not stutter…talk very casually…and do not memorize pre written answers…
I know the post is a bit too long…but i would be really glad if this could be of help to anyone here…Ive explained everything in detail…to the best of my ability…Should any of you require further asisstance please feel free to ping me….Hope this helps !…Good luck to everyone out there
By: Lydia Moin Rash
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