5 Effective Tips to Prepare for IELTS Exam

Introduction

Have you ever thought of going abroad for studies or to work? Many of you must have. Everyone thinks of it at least once in their lifetime. But ever thought what would be the first step for doing so? If not, we are here to guide you through the first step you need to take care of before thinking of studying or working abroad, which is clearing the IELTS exam. Let us learn in this article about how to prepare for IELTS exam.

IELTS is the most recognized worldwide English proficiency exam which gives the takers a chance to pursue their future in a foreign English-speaking country. One needs to prepare well for this exam if one wishes to pursue one’s studies/career in another English-speaking country.

In this article, we will look at a few ways that you must follow to ace the IELTS exam with a perfect band score.

What is IELTS?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is both developed and run by the British Council in partnership with IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English. This exam seeks to test your hold over the English language in every aspect and so, it is divided into 4 parts: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

The IELTS is divided into two kinds of tests, that is, the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. The IELTS Academic is the test that certifies if your hold over the English language is good enough to pursue education in an English-speaking country or not while the IELTS General Training tests your English proficiency in a general daily context.

To appear for the exam, the candidate must be at least 16. As for the minimum score for passing the IELTS, it solely depends upon the requirements of the institution you’re applying for.

prepare for IELTS exam

How to Prepare for IELTS Exam?

Here are some tips from the experts that can help you prepare for IELTS exam:

1. Understanding the Test

The very basic step to prepare for IELTS, or any other English Proficiency Test, is to have a good understanding of the test. You need to look up the format and pattern of the test before starting to prepare. The format, parts of the test, and types of questions that appear in the test may also help greatly. Once you have that covered up, you are good to proceed further.

2. Mock Tests

This is a well-known method for preparing for any test, especially a global-level test like IELTS. As they say, practice makes a man perfect. You must keep practicing and testing yourself before you can declare yourself to be “prepared” for appearing in IELTS. Practicing repeatedly may help you figure out the areas you lack so you can work on them to strengthen those aspects, to clear IELTS, you need to master all the four criteria mentioned above. Test yourself repeatedly till you are satisfied enough with your performance.

3. Mind the time constraints

Now, this is something that needs to be kept in mind. It is very crucial to remember that the IELTS exam has a time limit for each section. The number of questions in each section and the approximate time limit have been mentioned as follows.

TestSenarioMax. Time Given
Listening40 Questions30-40 Minutes
Reading40 Questions60 Minutes
Writing2 Tasks60 Minutes
Speaking3 Parts15-20 Minutes

 Keeping these time limits while preparing for the exam and while taking the mock tests as not completing a section within the allotted time limit may cause you to lose valuable marks.

4. Sharpen your skills

There is no doubt that you need to be skillful if you want to crack the IELTS exam. There are a lot of skills you need to master before you can think of appearing for this exam. Apart from listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, you also need to possess the skill of time management, you need to have a decent speed, you need to be a fast thinker, you need to have excellent focus. You need to submerge yourself into the English language so that vocabulary comes naturally to you. It sounds like a lot of work, but don’t forget what you are signing up for.

5. Seek professional help (if needed)

Many candidates seek help from a professional trainer if they feel like it isn’t a task that they can do on their own in the comfort of their houses. And it is nothing to be ashamed of too. Seeking professional help is recommended as your end goal is to ace the test and it is understandable if you can’t do everything on your own. A little guidance would never hurt it would only increase your chances of cracking the exam. We at The Pinnacle Overseas Education provide you with the best expert advice for kick-starting your academic as well as professional career abroad by helping you prepare for IELTS exam as well as applying to your dream universities.

Final Thoughts

Every child dreams of studying abroad in the best locations in the world at least once in their lifetime. For this, some steps have to be followed properly without any mistakes, of which the most important one is to prepare for IELTS exam. As I have mentioned above, IELTS is a worldwide conducted English language proficiency test. Therefore, this makes it difficult to prepare for IELTS exam and crack it. However, with the right approach, practice, focus, and strategy, you can clear the IELTS exam and pursue your future in your favorite English-speaking country.

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