IELTS academic exam - tips and recommendations
LikeHow on earth do I pass this IELTS exam!
Many of you who are wanting to go and study or work abroad needs to pass the IELTS exam. Should you want to go study abroad, it is required for you to write the academic IELTS. As someone who has taken it twice and as a native speaker, I have failed it twice. My third time will be my "lucky" one. I'd like to call it lucky, however this exam takes loads of preparation. Do not think that this exam can be prepared for in one week or even a month. As a non-native speaker, I would start to prepare for it at least a year in advance.
When I sat to do my first IELTS exam, I thought, well this will be easy as I am a native speaker.... think again.... I am an honour in Psychology graduate and spent over 7 years attainting these degrees as well as an additional year doing my post graduate certificate in education (PGCE). I also completed my 120 hour TEFL course and have been teaching English online for over a year now, and I was still a deer caught in headlights with this exam!
Some tips I'd like to share is to do your preparing for this test! The IELTS exam preparation material on the British Councils website is fantastic! There are mock listening, reading and writing tests. I personally find the writing and the listening the most challenging, however everyone has their own challenges with the test. Start to read articles from all different categories, as the writing part 2 could be absolutely anything! Watch YouTube channels such as Mehribon and Asiyamiart as they really explain well the format of the written tasks. With the listening, make sure you either watch a past webinar or sit live on their webinars they offer. These give massive tips for the listening part of the IELTS, as there is a specific format the test is done in. Something simple such as the time, I would always write it as 2:20pm, however the correct way or the IELTS way is 2.20pm.
For the speaking section, there is of course no other way to practice than to really jump on your English classes and speak as much as you can. Make sure the teacher knows your IELTS score requirements as well so they are able to guide you correctly. Simple things such as knowing you need to really expand on your answer and listen carefully to what they are asking you so that you answer the question correctly is key!
Lastly, try to be the last person to enter the room. The lights are very bright and can make you feel tired before the exam even starts, and waiting for everyone to be seated takes around 40 minutes before you can even start your exam. Make sure you eat something that will not make you tired just before you enter the class, as sitting for 3 hours really gets you hungry if you don't have a snack and a proper breakfast before sitting the exam.
Best of luck on your IELTS journey!