What is the IELTS exam
What is the IELTS exam
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is an exam intended for non-native English speakers. Its purpose is to find out what your level of English is (your result is a band score from 0 to 9). Usually you need to take the IELTS test if you are applying for a job or to study in a college or university in an English-speaking country or if you are migrating to such country. There are 2 modules of the IELTS test – Academic and General. The Academic Module is for future students and the General Module is for immigrants.
The IELTS Routine
The IELTS test consists of four parts in the following order (*)
The Listening test takes about 40 minutes – 30 minutes to listen to a tape and to answer questions on what you hear, and 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet.
The Reading test takes 1 hour and your task is to read passages of text and answer questions according to what you have read. There are also other types of assignments which I will cover later on in other posts on this website.
The Writing test also takes 1 hour and is divided into 2 sub-parts: you are given 20 minutes to write a letter/report and 40 minutes to write an essay.
The Speaking test takes up to 15 minutes and consists of 3 parts: a Personal Interview, a Cue Card talk and a Discussion.
All the parts continue one after another, and only before the Speaking test you get a break. Sometimes the Speaking test is even held on a different day.
(*) The order of IELTS sub-tests has been changed in Australia – learn more here.
The IELTS test formalities
When it becomes clear to you that you need to take the IELTS test, you’ll have to go through some formalities – which are:
- Call your local IELTS test centreand find out the dates when you can take an IELTS exam and how much it costs. Note: the dates could be different for the Academic and General IELTS exams.
- Download and print theapplication form, fill your details, enclose your photos, a copy of identification and, of course, the money and send it to your local IELTS centre.
- Make sure they received it and allocated a seat for you on the date you have chosen.
Read more about the IELTS exam – techniques, tips and secrets here…
Get more IELTS preparation tips and advice here.
For information on the new, IELTS Life Skills test – click here.
IELTS
2. Do’s and don’ts of IELTS essays (Band 7+)
Following these simple principles increased her Band score from 7 to 8.5 in Writing, and the same can happen for you! If you aren’t familiar with the term “do’s and don’ts”, it’s really simple: do’s are the things you should do, and don’ts are the things you should avoid.
The Do’s of IELTS Essay
– Conciseness (8-15 words per sentence)
– Cohesion (link ideas, paragraphs, sentences together)
– Coherence (all ideas should be easily understood by the reader)
– Composition (use the correct essay structure)
– Answer the question fully (cover all points asked in the task statement)
Band 7+ essays need
- a) more complex sentence structure
b) more complex vocabulary
c) more complex grammatical use and variation
– Use the official writing task 2 form to practice and check what 250 words look like in your own handwriting
– Read many essay topics
– Read many sample essays
– Know the right structure for all essay types
– Know when to give your opinion
– Add examples from your own experience if asked
– Use smart words and noun groups
– Use punctuation correctly
– Separate the arguments “for” and “against” into different paragraphs
– Use the right tone (essays are always formal)
– Only use possessive/personal pronouns when giving your opinion
– Lead from one paragraph to another well – connecting words are vital!
– Vary grammar
– Write neatly as it values the reader-writer relationship
– Write maturely to reflect mature way of thinking
– Make a plan in 3-5 minutes: it makes your essay more organised, mature and conveys the positive image of YOU.
– Make your opinion very clear: formal and reasoned point of view, give details.
The Don’ts of IELTS Essay
– Write too many words if your English is average (aim for 250-265)
– Use contractions such as “don’t”, “shouldn’t”, etc
– Overuse connecting words (assessors expect that!)
– Jump from one idea to the next: link, link, link!
– Mix arguments “for” and “against” in the same paragraph
– Use the wrong tone (essays are always formal)
– Use abbreviations
– Repeat words or overuse primitive verbs (does, makes, gets)
– Cross out many things
– Write illegibly
– Use idioms too frequently or inappropriately
– Write in a babyish manner (bad grammar and poorly developed ideas)
– Become a clock victim (constantly look at the clock and panic)
– Start writing without a plan
– Forget to leave a blank line between paragraphs
– Use generalisations (“All”, “Every”) as this reflects an immature way of thinking
– Use simple sentences if you want a high score
– Use cliches as they are often too informal
– Use ‘lazy’ expressions (“and so on”, “etc”).
– Copy part of task question
– Agree with both sides – choose one side to make your opinion clear
– Let adrenaline make you arrogant
– Go off topic
These tips are not exhaustive but will give you some important points how to pass the IELTS Writing test with a high Band Score.
Get a self study book, for Academic click here, for General here.
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Full IELTS Speaking Test, Free Sample #2 (with Examiner’s Commentary)
Speaking Test Sample #1 became a very popular resource as soon as we put it on the blog, which is why today we’re sharing Sample Speaking Test #2. You are about to get free access to a new, full IELTS Speaking Test recording, with examiner’s commentary and a transcript. This test was recorded by a real past IELTS examiner and another future test-taker (Deniz), and is a very close simulation of what happens on the test day in the real examination room.
Here is how it can be useful to you:
- You canget familiar with everything that happens in the Speaking test, and feel prepared when it’s your turn.
2. You can listen to the examiner’s questions, test-taker’s answers, and think about what YOU would say in response to these questions.
3. You can spot the test-taker’s mistakes and avoid them in your own speech.
4. You can go over the Examiner’s Commentary, learn how he rated the student’s performance and why (he also points out some of the student’s mistakes!)
5. You can even use this as a Listening exercise, and refer to the transcript to understand every word on the recording.
Watch the YouTube version here:
3. The right way to move your mouth when speaking English
Everyone knows that the person’s first language affects the way they sound when they speak English. For example a person whose first language is Arabic will sound different speaking English from a person whose first language is Polish. But do you know why?
The answer is simple: mouth position. Mouth position means whether your mouth is open or closed most of the time when you speak (whether your jaws, upper and lower teeth, are close together or wide apart).
Many people automatically use the mouth position typical to their first language when speaking English and it makes their speech harder to understand. The reason we’re bringing this up is that once you know what affects your pronunciation, you can work on it, and thus improve your Speaking IELTS score.
Georgie Taylor, a Speech Pathologist and accent specialist with over 9 years of experience, says that to speak English more like a native speaker (and therefore more clearly) you need to open and close your mouth quite a lot – compared to languages such as Japanese, Cantonese or Russian, for example.
In this short video Georgie explains about the right way to move your mouth in English and even gives you a great exercise to start your day. To make sure you understand every word we prepared a transcript of the video – click here to download.
If your pronunciation needs a bit of work, here is another great resource to try – this page (click here) allows you to record and compare your own pronunciation to that of a native speaker. Mimicking a native speaker’s pronunciation is a very good way to improve your own.
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