When I have a new IELTS class, the first thing I want to assess is their exam skills. So I ask them to read and complete some IELTS Reading tasks. Almost always the questions go to one side, and the candidates focus on the text and read it word by word from beginning to end. I can always see some students panicking about words they don't know. Meanwhile the minutes are ticking away and no answers are being noted down...
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.
IELTS Speaking: The most important 60 seconds in IELTS
In Part 2 of the Speaking test, you are given a card with a topic, and 60 seconds to prepare. You then have to speak on the topic for one to two minutes. This one minute of preparation time is absolutely critical, and can make all the difference in achieving the band score you need — or failing to reach it. In this post we will look at how you should use that crucial 60 seconds.
IELTS Preparation: Key facts for test day
IELTS is a challenging test. You can reduce the stress by making sure that you understand all the rules and have all the practicalities under control for the test day. Here are four key points, and some do’s and don’ts.
IELTS Writing: Writing overview sentences
“In Academic Writing Task 1, it is very important to start by providing an overview of the data. If you don’t do this, you will lose points.” — Simon Cockell, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
In this post we will look at what this means, and how you can use your data overview to get your IELTS Writing test off to a flying start.
IELTS suspended. What should I do?
In this post we look at some questions raised by the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus on IELTS. Has your IELTS test been suspended? How can you find out? How does this affect your IELTS preparation?
IELTS Reading: True/ False/ Not Given
Many candidates find the True/ False/ Not Given question one of the most challenging tasks in the Reading test. In fact, the biggest problem is the ‘Not Given’ option. Most candidates are not used to having this option and it confuses them a lot. They spend too much time making sure that it is ‘not given’ and this affects the rest of their test.
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 preparation: 1 week of stress-free IELTS preparation
“I don’t have the time to sit down and work on mock papers. And I don’t find it useful to do them bit by bit. Life is too distracting!” wrote Jorge Gibellini, an Argentinian IELTS candidate who needed an IELTS 7.0 for his master degree. Many candidates, like Jorge, are too busy with their academic study, day job and family commitments. And when they are finally free to sit down to begin their preparation, they are already too tired to take it all in.
IELTS Listening: Nine frequently asked questions
Here are just a few of the questions candidates have asked us about the Listening test. Some of these you may have wondered about yourself, so read on for IELTS Listening tips and tricks…