If you’re asking yourself how to prepare for IELTS exam, these 5 tips will help you to be ready for the exam day.
The IELTS, or the International English Language Testing System, is the standard language exam for non-native English speakers, to test their proficiency in the language. The IDP and British Council along with Cambridge Assessment English which was established in 1989 jointly administer and oversee the exam.
The IELTS is utilized for students who are trying to get into college in English speaking countries and need to prove their proficiency to speak, read, and understand English, at a level that will allow them to succeed academically. The exam scores are accepted in colleges and institutions in several countries including
- Australia
- Britain
- Ireland
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Over 3000 institutions in the United States as well as various organizations worldwide.
How do you pass the Exam?
There’s no pass or fail score you’ll receive for the IELTS exam. However, you do have to prepare for IELTS to ensure you obtain the appropriate level required to achieve admittance into the programs you’re applying for.
Scores will fall between what’s known as “band 1” which is given to non-users up through a “band 9” which is given to those who are considered expert users. A score of “band 0” is given to those who don’t complete the exam at all.
These bands will determine an individual’s proficiency in the English language. In 2007 over 1 million exams were taken for those who were applying for higher education purposes and immigration to the US, which made it the world’s most popular English language exam test that year.
Read more about IELTS Scoring in our blog post.
What’s Tested?
Among the areas you’ll be tested in are:
- Ability to read, listen and write in English.
- A speaking module is a one on one interview you’ll complete during the exam period.
There are different writing styles and accents presented during the test. This helps to eliminate bias and makes it fairer for all test takers, regardless of their country/region of origin sitting in for the exam. There’s both an online and written version of the IELTS exam.
So how to prepare for IELTS exam?
The more time you take in preparing for the IELTS, the better you’ll perform during the exam. Especially if you don’t have much experience speaking the English language, this is an area of focus you’ll want to look at during test prep.
So, what’s the best way to prepare for IELTS?
These are 5 simple tips to help you on your way.
Take Online Preparation Courses
An online preparation course is one of the best ways you can prepare for IELTS. Local test centers are a great resource for you to turn to when looking for a prep course. There are both physical / in person as well as online test prep courses you can sign up for when you are preparing for the IELTS exam.
What do the IELTS preparation courses offer?
- Countless hours of video lessons.
- Thousands of test exam prep questions and practice exams.
- They’re self-paced (online) so you can go as quickly or slowly as you need to understand the material.
- There’s progress tracking so you see where you’re improving (and aren’t) and where you need to focus more.
- You’ll receive feedback, if you answer questions incorrectly, you’ll see the correct ones.
- You have chat and online email support, 24/7 with many courses.
- There’s mobile access available with IELTS prep courses, so you can study from anywhere.
Read more in our reviews of 5 best IELTS Prep Courses as well as our quick review of interactive Top IELTS courses available online.
It’s a great way to engrain the test materials in your mind. Like anything, the more you do it, the more you put yourself out there, and the more time you take at improving yourself, the better you are going to get in those areas.
Complete Sample Test Questions
There are countless sample tests you can find online from previous years’ versions of the IELTS. Many of these practice exams are created by test administrators. Take as many as you can! The benefits of taking practice exams include
- You see the test exam format
- You’ll know what to look for when you sit in for the actual exam
- You’ll have a better idea of how the questions are laid out and what they cover
- In many cases, the questions are recycled, meaning you might see some of the practice questions on your actual exam
- It allows you to time yourself and makes sure you’re completing the test on time
You’ll get better! Think of anything you practice regularly and do often. You get better at it. The same goes with test-taking. The more time you spend on practicing, answering questions, and figuring out how to tackle the questions which you’re going to see on the IELTS exam, the more prepared you are going to be when you are ready to sit in for the exam that counts and is actually scored.
Talk /Chat with Native English Speakers
Make sure you’re speaking as well. You can’t just listen, that’s only going to prepare you for 1/4 of the exam. You need to speak during the IELTS test as well, there’s a section where you’re doing the talking. Again, try to talk with native English speakers.
Feel free to let friends/family or others you speak with to go slow. Let them know you are preparing for your exam. Also, ask them to avoid slang or “loose” terminology and jargon. Make sure you ask them to correct you when you say something incorrectly.
Doing this will allow you to embed the proper pronunciation into your brain. It’ll also help you expand your dialect, expand the words you know how to say, and help you become a better speaker in general. So, it’s not only great to prepare for IELTS, but also to prepare you for life in the US, or other regions where you’re going to be speaking with native English speakers regularly.
The more you talk, the more comfortable you’re going to feel when the time comes for you to do so during the exam. So, keep practicing and make sure you’re getting feedback on your ability to communicate effectively and your ability to pronounce words/phrases properly.
Music & Film are Great Resources
Listening and watching movies, news channels, and music, are also invaluable resources when you need to prepare for IELTS. These will help you prepare for the listening section. Classical music, films which are made by native English speakers, and American-based news channels, are great resources.
The reason being is that:
- English is spoken plainly and in the manner, it’s intended.
- There’s no jargon or words you shouldn’t use during your exam.
- It’s the proper terminology.
- They aren’t using slang.
- They are speaking clearly so you can listen, learn proper diction, and understand how to pronounce words properly.
All of these factors are going to help you on your journey to excel in the spoken portion of your IELTS exam. The more listening you do, to native English speakers, the better.
Make a Plan & Stick to it… but, Don’t Study 24/7
You want to make a plan for studying and stick to it. For example, think of the IELTS as your job while you’re preparing for it. So, set aside the hours of 8 to 5 PM each day for studying.
This isn’t to say you’re studying 9 hours straight, but rather, that you won’t do other things like go out with friends or engage in other activities.
Create a routine, here’s an example:
- 8 AM wake up and have coffee/breakfast
- 9 AM start with morning news (listening prep)
- 10:30 AM take practice exams online
- 12 PM review
- 12 – 1 PM lunch hour
- 1 PM engage in discussion with English speaker
This is just a sample. You are going to do what works for you. But, make sure you create a schedule and stick to it. The more meticulous you are in your prep, the easier it’s going to be for you to get in the swing of things.
On the same note, don’t wear yourself out. Again, you don’t want to study Sunday through Sunday, nor do you want to study 18 hours a day. It’s too much. You can overdo it which will discourage you in your success to prepare for IELTS. You want to be prepared, but not worn out.
Having a schedule, and your “study space” is a great way to ensure you’re getting the right amount of preparation and are comfortable with your ability to succeed when the exam date arrives.
The IELTS exam score will dictate in many instances, whether or not you get into the college of your dreams or pass an immigration test. It’s important, you need to do well. You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself, yet you want to study to know that you’re familiar with the material.
Striking a good balance is essential to ensure you’ll succeed. The more you prepare for IELTS and use the right resources available to you, the more prepared you’ll feel. And, when you feel prepared, you’re calmer on test day, which will allow you to perform better and achieve the required passing scores on your exam.
Are you ready for the exam day?
We hope these tips on how to prepare for IELTS exams will be helpful for you.
Good luck with the exams!
