At the beginning of the Listening test you are given 30 seconds to look at the question paper. This enables you to use the words on the paper to predict the words that you will hear in the recording. But that would be too easy! It’s much more likely that you will not hear these words; you will hear different words that mean the same thing. These are called synonyms.
Author: Andrew Stokes, IELTS specialist, ClarityEnglish
IELTS Writing: The easiest way to fail
The easiest way to fail to get the band score you need is to go into the test without fully understanding what is required of you.
IELTS Listening: Beware the distractor!
The IELTS Listening test sets out to show which candidates can listen effectively, and which can’t. One of the ways of doing this is to set traps — and see whether you fall into them. You need to know about these traps and how to avoid them. In this post we will look at one of the most common traps: the distractor.
Getting the IELTS band score you need
How is IELTS scored? What is a good IELTS score? How can you find your IELTS level right now? Read on to learn about all the basics — and find out how to access the British Council’s free IELTS Score Calculator.
Preparing for computer-delivered IELTS
So, you’re preparing for computer-delivered IELTS (CD IELTS). In this short post I’m going to cover three key areas: basic information about CD IELTS; how CD IELTS differs from paper-based IELTS; and, most importantly, where you can get a free computer-based IELTS test to practise with. (Scroll down to section 3 below for that.)
IELTS Listening: How important is spelling?
The British Council’s LearnEnglish site answers this question clearly and succinctly: ‘Everything must be spelled correctly.’ So, what are the pitfalls? In this blog post we’re going to look at just one scenario.
IELTS Speaking: The psychological aspects
Have you ever thought that the IELTS Speaking test is about more than just speaking? In this post we will look at the psychological aspects of the test, and think about how you can exploit them to improve your score.
IELTS Listening: All the basics, from the British Council
It’s easy to do badly in IELTS Listening if you don’t have a thorough understanding of what to expect. See if you are confident you can answer these questions about the Listening test.
IELTS Speaking: What is the examiner looking for?
In IELTS Speaking Part II, you have to talk for two minutes on a topic given to you by the examiner. Do you understand how you will be graded?
IELTS Reading: A quick fix?
I often receive emails or Facebook messages from IELTS test takers saying ‘How can I improve my reading?’ or ‘I am poor at reading.’ The problem is not that these candidates need to improve their reading, but that that they need to do it quickly. You may be one of them.