The name ‘IELTS’ scares many students whose aspirations are to land a dream job or study in a foreign land. To get a great score in IELTS, one needs to put in a lot of hard work if not smart work. You need a strategy if you are preparing for something new, be it an exam or something else.
Here are 5 simple tips on how to Prepare for the IELTS exam.
1. Power of a Practise Exam
The best way to start IELTS preparation is to take a practice exam and assess where you are. There are a number of websites that offer free practise tests but we suggest you take the test from the British council website. When you take the test, do it in the exam standards.
Take the listening and reading test as well, check the score and make a note on where you should improve. Make sure you take these exams with a timer. It is better to practise speaking and listening with a teacher or a friend so that you get proper feedback.
2. Daily Goal
Studying consistently every day is the key to crack IELTS. Draft a daily study plan and follow it. Make sure you study at least 2 hours per day, spend equal time on speaking, writing and listening. If not, analyse where you are weak and spend more time on that.
You can download an app to track your time or a daily planner template from google to check your progress.
3. English is the Key
Whether you are a native speaker or not, you have to improve your English, this is an exam to check your English skills after all. First thing you should do to improve the language is to think in this language, and also speak in English with your friends, family and others. Bluntly put, use English in your daily life as much as possible.
There are other effective ways to boost your English skills, listen to podcasts, read newspapers daily, listen to people with a native accent talking in shows or movies and lastly, find a teacher who can guide you with the language’s intricacies.
4. Choose Study Materials Wisely
There are many resources available on the internet, some are good but most resources aren’t reliable. Those who prepare IELTS for the first time will feel overwhelmed by the tips, study plans and materials available. Always go for authentic sources, Cambridge website or the British Council provides you past exam papers with answer keys. Practise it.
English Collocations in Use, English Vocabulary in Use, The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS are some useful books published by Cambridge.
5. Focus on Writing
Each section is equally important to crack IELTS, however, a low score in writing can seriously affect your band score. Not that only, compared to writing, listening and reading takes a lot of time to master it.
Either it’s task 1 or task 2 writing in the IELTS exam, your vocabulary must be improved. Learn new words, collocations and it’s better to use phrases in your answers.
You will easily miss noticing grammar errors and other mistakes in your writing. That’s why it is wise to get a teacher. You need someone to give you constant feedback throughout the process.
Conclusion
Yes, IELTS is a very difficult exam to crack but it’s not impossible. Any exam can be cracked easily, just keep practising. Take as many as mock tests as possible. Do not panic, give your best shot. Good Luck.
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