Are you reading this because you've taken and retaken the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) multiple times? Are you feeling frustrated because you can't achieve the score that you need? Are you on the verge of giving up? Well, let me start off by saying: Don't give up. It IS possible to improve on your score. Personally, I have taken the IELTS three times and have requested for a remark once. This shows that there is no magic equation and I did not miraculously become better at it within one day, but I think it is still worth a try. Let me tell you how I did it.

SET YOUR TARGET SCORE

With Pre-Primary School Teacher (ANZSCO 241111) as my nominated occupation in my Skilled Independent Visa, I needed a score of at least 8.0 in the Speaking and Listening components, and at least 7.0 in the Reading and Writing components. However, this is not the case with everybody. For some, the required IELTS score might be lower or higher. The important thing is that you should know what score you need so that you'll know how much preparation you'd need.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

You'll have to be familiar with the different formats of questions and parts of the IELTS so that you wouldn't be thrown off-guard and left confused on how to answer a certain type of question. To do this, you'll definitely have to practice. I bought a reviewer called Cambridge English IELTS 9, which was recommended to me because the book contained authentic materials that were used from previous tests. I highly recommend that reviewer. However, you don't really have to buy this exact reviewer. If you're planning to buy a different one, just make sure that it contains authentic materials. Otherwise, you might as well just make use of free IELTS practice tests found online.

In addition to practicing using the reviewer, here are other practical tips that I have for each component:

LISTENING

• Listen to radio recordings or podcasts or watch movies that feature different English-speaking accents.
• Make notes on the questionnaire while listening to the sound clip.
• Don't drift off! You should consciously divert your attention back to what you're listening to, because every point counts.

READING

• Practice reading both fiction (novels, short stories, chapter books, etc.) and non-fiction (newspaper, journals, essays, etc.) passages.
• While reading the test passage, assign a certain symbol/mark on the important details so that it is easier to go back to them later. For example, I boxed all of the dates, boxed all of the names of persons and underlined the names of places. So, if there is a question asked about a person, I'll just have to review all of the details that I encircled.

WRITING

• Practice writing responses to sample questions while keeping a one-hour timer.
• Since the second writing task is given more weight than the first writing task, spend more time writing responses on the second task.
• Do NOT be conscious on the required number of words. If you do that, you will tend to focus more on how many words you've already written, as opposed to what you're supposed to be writing about.
• Make sure that you understand what the question is really asking. You lose points if you answer a question incorrectly.

SPEAKING

• Practice speaking spontaneously for two minutes. (I did this by answering questions and keeping a timer.)
• Speak with other people in English.
• Do NOT change your accent. Focus on the content and organization of your answer.

 

ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS IN AN OUTLINE

This is applicable in the Writing and Speaking components of the test, since you will be graded according to the coherence and relevance of your thoughts. For the Writing component, it will save you more time if you will write a quick outline first instead of immediately writing your thoughts and eventually end up rambling. For the Speaking component, you will be given a pencil and paper to write down your thoughts, but since time is limited, you might want to keep the outline in your head. Just remember the acronym PREP as a guide: P stands for purpose (explain the purpose of the topic), R stands for reason (talk about the reasons for the purpose), E stands for examples (give specific examples for the reasons), while P stands for purpose (restate your original purpose).

ASK FOR HELP

If you're still at a loss, don't be afraid to ask for help. I think that for the Reading and Listening components, it is definitely doable to practice on your own because the answers to questions are black and white. However, in the case of the Writing and Speaking components, they are more subjective, so seeking the help of another person might be helpful. If it comes to that, you may enrol in a review centre of your choice, and a tutor will be able to give you pointers on how to improve on your methods in writing and speaking.

With these tips, my scores definitely jumped from the following scores on my first take of the IELTS: Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0. Writing 6.5, Speaking 7.0 to these scores on my third and last take of the IELTS: Listening 8.5, Reading 8.5, Writing 7.5, Speaking 8.0.

How did your IELTS experience go? Tell us all about it on the comment section below!