CLB 10 in first attempt(1-month prep)!!Preparation time: 30 days
Student's story 1:
IELTS date: June 1st,2019
IELTS score: LRWS (8.5 8 8 8)
CRS: 470
EE profile creation: June 23rd
ITA: June 26th
Now is the time to move on to the next steps but before I do that, I would like to share my experience with the group and would be glad if I could be of some help in your endeavor to reach your dream score. Here were my
Preparation strategies:
Listening
I never wanted to be stuck with random youtube videos/channels so I simply created an account on https://ielts.magoosh.com/ . Questions here are harder than the actual IELTS, so the real exam will be kind of a cakewalk. It's up to you whether to shell out a few bucks or not.
Tip: There are always a few types of questions which most of us struggle with, such as multiple-choice questions(grrrrrrr) or singular/plural. Just make sure to score full in other areas no matter what. This way even if there are couple of mistakes in your weak areas, score won’t drop below 8.
Reading
Same as listening https://ielts.magoosh.com/ . Again, questions again here are harder than actual IELTS. No other resources referred.
I always struggled with T/F/NG questions. True is easy to figure out. If I was absolutely sure about F then F. If I’ve had the slightest doubt between F and NG then simply marked NG and proceed.
Writing
Task 1
I memorized letter’s templates, keywords, and starting phrases for different types of essays. I wrote my first letter directly in exam and took 35 min to complete it, leaving me with only 25 min for task 2. Terrible mistake ☹
Resources:
http://www.goodluckielts.com/sample-IELTS-letters.html
http://www.goodluckielts.com/ielts-writing-letters-keywords.html
Jay videos on letters
Task 2
80% Jay’s YouTube videos and 20% Liz
I believed that changing my 20+ years of my style of writing in one month was hard (although it can be improved), so I concentrated more on eliminating mistakes (grammar, replacing lengthy statements with collocations, using transition words accurately, punctuation etc.) as much as I could, and trust me it can make a difference of 0.5/1 point easily.
Tip: Make templates for different essay types, and if possible write standard phrases too (e.g. To recapitulate/The foremost causes of this problem/Regarding possible solutions, perhaps the immediate step would be…….blah blah).
Vocab
I tried to create general vocab (e.g. ameliorate) and collocations (e.g. dietary sustenance or leisure pursuits) bank.
Tip 1: Learning a word and then writing a few commonly used synonyms followed by one sentence for each one of them.
e.g Visualize ; Meaning ; Word form(Verb) ; Synonyms(Imagine, envision, envisage) ; Sentence 1/2/3/4
Tip 2: IELTS is only about 10-15 general topics so whenever I read any essay, I would write all the useful VOCAB/PHRASES/ COLLOCATIONS which you can use as it is in either writing or even speaking. for e.g.
Cities & Infrastructure: Urban life/high-capacity public transport/flexible patters of transport such as car-pooling/widespread phenomenon/fosters a sense of civic pride/etc.
Work & careers: higher levels of output/career prospects/target-related payments/high-powered job/stuck behind a desk/financial rewards etc.
You get the idea!
Tip 3: Transition words and connectors - I found 5-6 super useful videos related to them on Adam's channel. PRECISE usage is crucial.
Grammar
I genuinely wanted to improve my grammar and not just for the sake of IELTS. A book that helped me achieve that was - Edmund Murphy. Pure Gold!!
"English language with Adam's" if you don't intend to read entire book.
Try to inculcate advance tenses and structures in your writing, and specially speaking since latter allows more flexibility. Whenever interviewer listens words, such as could have/would have/might be/would/more often than not/Not only…but also/etc., we get brownie points. If you are not comfortable then avoid them as the key is to sound natural.
Speaking
Nil preparation (It's true!!). I struggled speaking with timer in front of me so skipped this section altogether. Moreover, I wanted to keep it natural, spontaneous and honest (not the best strategy though).
My Speaking interview was scheduled 4 hours after the IELTS. While people were playing beach volleyball in front of me on Santa Monica beach, I was preparing for part 1 questions there 😐.
Part 1: 6-7 Question about relatives and how often I visit them
Part 2: An unusual trip - When-With whom - What was unusual: I went to Alaska last summer so had tons of unusual stories(Vocab - captivating, stunning landscape, Northern lights, cruise trip, hordes of tourists, rare event, snow capped glaciers, splendid beauty etc.)
Part 3: Why Eco tourism is important - What should be done to make people aware(people just come for recreation/no connection with wildlife, appreciate biodiversity/slow transition etc.) - Travelling in your own country vs travelling abroad: which should be preferred
Tips: I felt fluency, confidence and staying relevant is the key. Vocab is the icing on the cake. My topic wise vocab done for writing came in handy here. Also, if possible, try presenting OPPOSING view as well in Part 3. It shows you don't lack content and also gives more content to you to speak(mentioned in one of the random Youtube video)
I found an excellent website just before my exam. I couldn't use it much myself but hope you can make the best use of it. Just like writing, try to squeeze out advanced phrases and vocab for most common topics.
https://www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk/ielts-vocabulary/
Full Exam
Cambridge IELTS 13
Real exam (Listening & Reading) questions were very close to the question types in this book.
Miscellaneous
https://ieltsliz.com/ - BIBLE for IELTS preparation
By Ritesh Ganthi
Good luck everyone!!
Student's story 2:
1) General IELTS Tips
Hi everyone. I recently posted my IELTS general score and am overwhelmed by all the comments and requests for help. I gave my exam on 29 th June and my score was 8.5, 8,8,8- LRWS. I prepared only for 20 days. Here in this post I will outline how I prepared for each section.
Before you start IELTS prep, you need to ask yourself two questions.
What is my basic English skill like? Am I a fluent speaker or I lack in my knowledge of English language. Someone with poor basic grammar and language skills will not reach a band of 8 or 8.5 if they prepare for short duration. They might have to work on their basic skills first and then prepare for IELTS.
Second question you need to be clear about is what is the score am aiming at? Do I need a 7 or 8 ? It's always good to aim for a score 0.5 or 1 band higher than what you need. I aimed for 8.5 and got an overall 8.
Also, remember, even if your basic English skill is adequate, if you don't practice or aren't thorough about IELTS techniques and fine nuances.
The following tips will work only for people who have a basic competence for English language.
Reading:
1. Work on your reading speed. Use correct technique for reading. Don't read your IELTS passage like you read the newspaper. First read the questions and then read the passage from the perspective of finding answers.
2. Punctuation, correct tense and spellings. If you don't pay attention to these small things, you might lose marks despite writing the correct answer .
3. Match the headings and true false not given are two tricky sections where I struggled. For match the headings, don't jump at the first guess or first option u think is right. Skim all passages and select the best fit. Read the question carefully.
For true false and NG. There is a fine line between false and NG. When you read the question and think you have found the answer, ask yourself again, is this the same information given in the passage. Coz sometimes when u rethink, you will realize it's not given.
I found E 2 IELTS lesson on match the headings and true false Ng very helpful.
Speaking:
Go through YouTube videos of Band 9 speakers.
The speaking simulation by Jay on E 2 IELTS is remarkably good too. There are three or four videos by Jay on speaking. Also help for pronouciation for non native English speakers.
Find a reliable speaking partner. For folks in India, am ready to help them with speaking for a nominal fee. I can be your speaking partner or mock examiner for three sessions. Note that I can help only those who have basic English skills. Others can't improve with three sessions alone. Those who are serious and need assistance can email me on drpheba2190@gmail.com. I will respond within two days.
Writing:
I prepared and practiced with the help of E2 IELTS lessons by Jay. He has a lesson each for formal , informal letters and essay. It's the best content I found online for writing
Understand the scoring criteria. And understand where u lack and work on specific c areas. I can help by trying to score your letters and essays and offering tip. Those who need help can email me. Know that am no expert but just can guide with my experience.
Listening:
Listen to a variety of audios and get used to the test format.
If you are someone who can't understand the accent, listen more to Australian and British speaker audios, you will get better.
Just like reading, listen carefully to hear your answer and read your questions beforehand. It's called selective hearing. If you miss an answer, it's okay, don't panic and move to the next section. IELTS listening help offered by Liz on YouTube is very resourceful. Write the exact words u hear in the audio in correct tense with right spellings.
Rest, dedicated efforts and organized studying will pay off.
All the best.
IELTS TIPS.
Student's Story 3:
My score:
Attempt 1: LRWS : 7.5,8,8,8
Attempt 2: LRWS: 8.5, 8, 7.5,8
Listening: Practice, Practice, Practice. There is absolutely no shortcut. I had done Cambridge 1-14 tests in attempt 1, somehow messed up in the exam. I repeated all the practice tests 1-14 again for attempt 2. I did not believe in any other material for listening.
Reading: Practiced a few tests from Cambridge, not many though. Was confident about reading. Mainly focused on time management for this section.
Writing: Chris Pell. That's it. Followed all his strategies. Strictly followed the rule: KEEP IT SIMPLE. Follow the 100% rule for every sentence that you right, do not write the sentence unless you are 100% sure of its accuracy.
Speaking: Be natural. Imagine you are with a friend. Its okay if you make a mistake, correct yourself. I did that both the times and got an 8 twice.
PS: For writing, I did not 'stuff in' any cohesive device. It should come naturally. Please understand, 'which', 'that' and 'this' are also cohesive devices!
Hope this helps!
Thank you.
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