Planning to go abroad for further studies or migrating to a country let's say Australia or Canada?
There is a requirement for the most important document which is to pass the IELTS exam.
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. This test helps to judge ones proficiency for the English language-for non native English language speakers who want to work or study in that country where English is a language of communication. There are four modules which is listening, reading, writing and speaking and it has 2 types, first is academic IELTS and the other is general training IELTS.
Academic IELTS is for students who wants to study in abroad while General IELTS is for the people who wants to migrate for job or for permanent basis.
The speaking and listening tests are the same for both the models but the reading and writing patterns vary.
Listed below are my observations on how to prepare for the IELTS exam.
Listening: It is obvious for non native speakers to face difficulty in understanding what they speak initially but after constant practice one can overcome and start understanding various accent and pronunciation. To understand pronunciation or accent, listen or watch English news channels like BBC, CNN, English movies, serials, interviews etc with subtitles first and later without subtitles.
Reading: There are a few strategies one needs to follow to attempt questions like true/false/not given, yes/ no/ not given, list of headings and summary writing etc. For example, if the statement gives the fact which is mentioned in the text then it is True statement and if it contradicts the statement then the answer is false and if the given statement information is not in the text then the option to be chosen is not given. For yes, no, not given question type it shows the writers opinion. For list of headings options,read the passage quickly with fair understanding and then check for the options.
For remaining question types like short answer question, fill in the blanks, summary completion look for the key word and then scan the paragraph then skim it for detailed understanding. Time management is crucial for reading paper and if one finds it difficult then reading English news paper, various magazines and books help improving speed.
Writing: This paper is the most challenging for most of the applicants but this can be easily overcome by constant practice and one needs to evaluate this paper by someone who has good command of English language. Range of vocabulary with appropriate use, synonyms, grammar, and idea interpretation are the vital parts in this paper. Simple method is to understand the question and then paraphrase (write in your words) the question with your opinion in the introduction. Then for the remaining paragraphs- write the statement and give reasons with examples and then write the precise conclusion. Refer online band 9 essays from mentor site because I have followed those and found it useful.
Speaking: In this paper one needs to understand the section wise answer criteria.
Section 1: There are question & answer sessions where one needs to answer in one sentence. for example, where are you from? one can answer I am from Delhi;a beautiful place in northern India.
Section 2: You will get a cue card where you will have to prepare answer in 1 minute and answer that question for about 4 to 6 minutes covering all the given points mentioned in the cue card. Here one needs to understand a wide range of vocabulary, synonyms, grammar, pronunciation and the flow of speech with minimum pauses plays an important role in this paper.
Section 3: One has to Converse with the examiner but answer should be lengthy as compared to section 1 and those questions will be carried forward by section 2. Here question types are for general views and answer should be the same.
- To improve speaking one needs to speak with friends, colleagues on a daily basis in English.
- To achieve the good band score or to pass satisfactory, descent preparation in listening, reading, writing and speaking is important by using various tools such as watching the interviews, sitcoms, reading news, reading books .
Practice lots of tests with timed version and refer IELTS CAMBRIDGE SERIES 1-14 books. This is my conclusion on how to prepare and approach the IELTS EXAM.
IELTS scores are reported as band scores on a scale from 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest) for each section of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. We also get an overall band score - average of four individual test section band scores. An overall IELTS band score of 6.5 with atleast a 6.0 in each section is required while applying to majority of the foreign universities.
$\textbf{Overall Band Score}$
$$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \textbf{IELTS score}&\textbf{Skill Level}\\\hline 9&\text{Expert}\\\hline 8&\text{Very Good}\\\hline 7&\text{Good}\\\hline 6&\text{Competent}\\\hline5&\text{Modest}\\\hline\end{array}$$
The tables below indicate the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in Listening, Academic Reading and General Training Reading.
$\textbf{Listening}$
$$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \textbf{Band score}&\textbf{Raw score out of 40}\\\hline 5&16\\\hline 6&23\\\hline 7&30\\\hline 8&35\\\hline\end{array}$$
$\textbf{Academic Reading}$
$$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \textbf{Band score}&\textbf{Raw score out of 40}\\\hline 5&15\\\hline 6&23\\\hline 7&30\\\hline 8&35\\\hline\end{array}$$
$\textbf{General Training Reading}$
$$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \textbf{Band score}&\textbf{Raw score out of 40}\\\hline 4&15\\\hline 5&23\\\hline 6&30\\\hline 7&34\\\hline 8&38\\\hline\end{array}$$