The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a popular exam taken by millions of individuals worldwide, who aim to pursue higher education or work opportunities abroad. Scoring high on the IELTS exam is crucial for achieving your goals and improving your chances of success. However, preparing for the exam can be a daunting task, especially for those who are not familiar with its format and requirements.
In a nutshell, it is a testing system that grades your English language skills based on four key aspects of a language: speaking, writing, reading and listening. In most instances, preparation means many hours of sitting and reading. But, you could do more than studying lengthy IELTS study guides and review books. Following these 5 tips can help you prepare and ace the IELTS Exam.
Know the test you are taking in IELTs
The most important part of test preparation is to learn everything there is to know about that particular test. You need to know the answers to questions such as: “What will happen during the test?”, “How long is the test?”, “What kind of questions will I have to answer?” Once you know the answers to these questions, you will need to set some targets for yourself.
There are two IELTS test modules. The academic module is for education and career purposes and the general training module is for those who are considering immigrating or doing internships. Both modules have the same sections. The difference is that the academic module has more technical terms and phrases, whereas the general training module is more for everyday English.
This means that those who take the academic module test should focus more on academic articles and vocabulary and those who take the general training module should learn more daily phrases. So, the first order of business is choosing the module: which module suits your purposes better?
Get better at managing your allocated time
Just like any other test, the IELTS has an allocated duration and if you want to get a high score, you do not have the luxury to say, “I could not finish the test on time.” You will have to manage your time effectively to answer the questions within the time allocated to each section. And this starts during the preparation.
Try to solve a reading test in 30 minutes as that is the allocated time for the reading section on the test. Focus on speaking for 4-5 minutes on various topics to get ready for the IELTS speaking section. You need to get ready for at least a 5-minute-long speaking test. This will help you overcome the time issue for speaking during the actual test.
And if you write a short piece in an hour, even good writing skills will not help you get a high score on the IELTS writing section. You need to answer all questions and finish every section, otherwise this will negatively affect your score. Keep this in mind!
Read all instructions carefully
Before beginning any reading passage, take time to read all instructions thoroughly. Pay special attention to anything underlined or italicized, as these indicate important points or questions that will be asked about the reading material later.
Skim through the reading passage
Once you’ve read the instructions, skim through the reading passage quickly. This should give you an idea of what information you’ll be reading and help you focus on the key points.
Read actively
As you read, you should mark or highlight important information that stands out to you. Don’t just read the words silently; also, think about what you’ve read to evaluate and make connections. Actively reading will help you better understand the context, which is essential for answering questions on the reading exam.
Practice timed reading passages
Practice reading passages in a timed setting to get used to reading faster under pressure. This will force you to stay focused and increase your reading speed to finish all the reading sections with time left over.
Answer questions in order of difficulty
Start with easier questions first and then move on to more difficult ones. This way, you will have more time to think about the answers, and you can also use what you learned from reading the easier questions to help answer the more difficult ones.
Take reading comprehension quizzes
To test your reading comprehension skills, take reading comprehension quizzes or practice tests that simulate IELTS Academic reading tasks. This will help you get familiar with the types of questions asked on the exam, as well as give you an idea of how much material needs to be read in order to answer a question correctly.
Monitor your progress
Track your reading speed and accuracy over time by taking timed reading tests regularly. This will help you identify any areas where you may need improvement and give you an idea of how prepared you are for the reading section of IELTS Academic.
Learn vocabulary
Learning new words and phrases can help increase your reading speed as well as comprehension. Make sure to look up any unfamiliar words or terms in a dictionary or online resource so that you can understand them quickly during the reading section of IELTS Academic.
