How to prepare for IELTS by self-study is a typical query among many candidates. IELTS is taken by individuals planning to travel to a major English speaking country. Students often search for study material and IELTS preparation books to aid their preparation. One of the first things that every candidate needs to do is to be familiar with the exam. Hopefully, this article will help you in your preparation for the IELTS exam.
About IELTS
The International English Language Testing System or IELTS is an English language proficiency test taken by individuals who wish to work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language. There are two variants of IELTS, IELTS Academic and IELTS General. There are four segments of the IELTS exam, each of which assesses a particular communicative ability of the English language. These sections are,
- Writing
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
IELTS Writing
The Writing section of the IELTS exam assesses an individual’s writing skills in terms of lexical knowledge, coherence, grammatical accuracy and sophistication and also how well the candidate has responded to the given question. There are two types of tasks in IELTS Writing. In the first task, candidates are required to either describe, summarize or explain information from an IELTS process chart, graph, diagram or table for IELTS Academic whereas for IELTS General candidates are required to write a letter. In the second task, candidates are required to write an essay relevant to a given topic.
How to Prepare for IELTS Writing?
Since candidates are assessed on various aspects of their writing skills, it is important to improve all these parameters to score well in this section. If the response of a candidate to a writing task meets all the requirements, it is bound to get a high score.
- Practise writing tasks thoroughly to improve your understanding of the given topics and prepare your response without spending too much time.
- Read sample essays to understand the required structure for these answers.
- Practise using sophisticated grammar and unique vocabulary in your answers to make them look more refined.
IELTS Listening
In this section, candidates are required to listen to audio recordings and answer a series of questions and showcase their skills and understand the concepts and information from these recordings. There are various types of listening tasks in this section. Candidates are marked on their ability to grasp the main ideas and factual information from the audio recordings.
How to prepare for IELTS Listening?
The Listening section tests a candidate’s ability to understand important information from audio recordings. Since our listening skills are generally not as sharp as our writing or reading skills in terms of academics, it is important to invest more time in practising the type of questions included in this section.
- Candidates should refer to both real-time and sample questions for this section to improve their listening skills.
- Mock tests are a great way to improve your listening skills for IELTS.
- Candidates should also practise sample questions from diverse sources to increase their experience.
IELTS Reading
The Reading section of the IELTS exam assesses a candidate’s skills through a wide range of parameters. Candidates may be required to understand the primary theme of a text extract, understand the various details or even skim the text for better understanding. Both IELTS Academic and General tests have several types of tasks in the reading section.
How to prepare for IELTS Reading?
Since a candidate’s reading skill in the IELTS reading section is tested extensively, it is important to keep your reading abilities as precise as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate a lot of reading into your daily preparation routine.
- Fiction and non-fiction novels can significantly improve your reading abilities.
- Reading newspapers is also a great way to enhance reading skills.
- Invest more time to increase your reading speed to save time during the IELTS exam.
IELTS Speaking
The IELTS Speaking section is the last segment of the IELTS examination. There are three parts to this section and it is the shortest segment of the IELTS exam. Candidates have to introduce themselves, speak and answer certain questions on common topics based on personal experiences. Candidates are marked on their ability to speak with ease and confidence. Candidates are also marked on the type of vocabulary they use in their answers.
How to Prepare for IELTS Speaking?
One of the most important factors to keep in mind when preparing for IELTS Speaking is to sound natural and comfortable. Since speaking skills are generally the hardest to master, especially for non-native speakers of English, substantial preparation is required for this section. Many IELTS preparation books provide CDs with sample questions with sample audios for IELTS speaking, which might be beneficial for self-study.
- Listen to audio samples of IELTS Speaking task answers and practise speaking along.
- Practise speaking in front of the mirror to boost your confidence.
- Make a habit of using uncommon words in your day-to-day life to become more fluent with such vocabulary.
Tips to follow during IELTS
It is always productive to know certain information about the various task types and how to answer them effectively when taking the IELTS. Strategies and practical suggestions help you successfully answer all parts of the test. Here are some tips to follow during the IELTS exam.
- Listen to the audio recordings from the Listening section carefully, as you will only hear them once.
- When answering Writing Task one questions like an IELTS process chart, table or diagram, understand all the details and information provided before responding.
- Make sure not to use a particular word too many times when writing essays. Try to use synonyms or other equivalents.
- Always frame your answers in a manner that you are comfortable with when answering the IELTS Speaking section questions.
The preparation method for IELTS is an entirely personal choice since the requirements for one candidate are different from another. Although self-preparation can be extremely advantageous for some candidates, it might not be favourable for others. Students can also aid their preparation via online platforms like IELTSMaterial.com and other websites. However, it is important to understand that investing time and effort sincerely will help you achieve a high band score in IELTS irrespective of the method of preparation.
