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How to improve your performance in an IELTS Test

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Mar 05,2021 ByDigichefs

Preparing for the IELTS test can be a daunting process as it can make or break your application to good universities in the EU English speaking countries such as UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, etc.

IELTS - The International English Language Testing System is the world's most popular and widely accepted common English language proficiency test. It is a test commonly given as an assessment for studying abroad in the Best European universities, work and migration.

It has 2 tests: Speaking test and computer test.

The Speaking test happens face-to-face with a trained IELTS examiner. Other aspects of the IELTS Computer test has the Listening, Reading and Writing sections on a computer. The results get announced within 3-5 days, and you can choose the exam date at your convenience.

IELTS assesses your ability to understand English; the IELTS test comprises of four components: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

The total duration of the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes and your Listening, Reading and Writing tests will be conducted on the same day, without any breaks.

  • Listening: The listening test has 4 sections (30 minutes)
  • Reading: The reading test has 40 questions, with 3 sections (60 minutes)
  • Writing: The writing test will have 2 tasks (60 minutes)
  • Speaking: The speaking test consists of 3 parts (11-14 minutes)

However, the speaking test can be scheduled for up to a week before or after other tests.

The date and time of your speaking test are updated by the IELTS.

If your goal is studying at the top-ranked European Universities IELTS is the way to go.

In this article, we will be sharing some tips that will help you Ace the IELTS test.

  1. Know thy self before you know thy language.

Analyse your English language to check where you stand.

Before you start, you must be aware of where do you stand in terms of speaking, listening and writing English and how good you are at it, what are your plus points and weaknesses and work on them accordingly.

 Try rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 and set the desired band for yourself. With that score, you can make a plan of achievable goals, and build your confidence after the first attempt.

  1. Keep a steady pace in your preparation.

You simply cannot cram for an IELTS test.

You must have a long, achievable and realistic game plan that focuses on the learning strategies that you can absorb and implement on the test day, so practising on the subjects consistency is the key.

But first, Get the basics of your English right by learning basic grammar, spelling and vocabulary.

We humans are a creature of habit, try to read, write and speak in English to build into your daily lifestyle.

  • Get well versed in reading English newspapers in-depth, it helps you to develop your reading speed.
  • Listening to English news channels or radio helps understanding accents building a verbal sentence structure and context in your conversation.
  • Watching English movies/ TV shows with subtitles also helps with English comprehension. 
  1. Work on your listening skills

Listening skills are essential to developing and easiest to practice, considered to be one of the easiest exams amongst all in the test. Still, you need your utmost focus in this exam rather than others.

Yes, because you will get to hear some recordings and based on that you will have to give your answers.

The listening test has 4 recordings where you get 30 minutes to hear the recordings.

And have to answer 40 questions with 10 questions per recording.

The next 10 minutes will help you to transfer your answer to your sheet. So listening, understanding and answering back accurately is very vital to ace the test.

  1. Use the test center headphones to help you concentrate.

Once done with the listening test, While giving the test to complete the rest of the sections, use your headphones while you write for the reading test. It blocks out the background noise and helps you concentrate on the test very well.

       5. Embrace and learn from your mistakes while preparing.

Attempt more of the Mock test to get a brief idea about the flow and the test format. Study from IELTS practice material to get a better gist of the kind of questions that you might be asked during your test.

The reason why MOCK tests work is that it allows you to make mistakes, learn from it and not repeat it.

So do not get frustrated and try reviewing every wrong answer and use these mistake to guide you.

We hope these tips will help you get cracking the IELTS test.

Now go practice and ACE it!