Doing well in the IELTS test depends on having a good level of English, but there are also other factors which can affect test-takers’ performance - things which are more practical and connected to exam techniques.
In this post, we’ll look at some top tips to help you stay on track both when you are studying for IELTS and on the day of your test. Some tips are related to individual skills and some are more general.
Let’s start with time management. Each part of the test has a time limit, but time is managed in different ways. In the Listening the recording and time are fixed so test-takers have little control, and in the Speaking, the examiner is in charge of the time. This is in contrast to the Reading and Writing parts where test-takers must manage the time themselves and make sure they answer all the questions in the time limit.
The points below show some time management challenges and some advice:
Reading
- Challenge for test takers: The texts are too long to read in detail.
- What you can do: Learn to skim, scan and read intensively.
Listening
- Challenge for test takers: There isn’t much time to read the questions before the recordings play.
- What you can do: Learn to read quickly and underline keywords.
Writing
- Challenge for test takers: You must divide your time between two tasks, plan, write and check them.
- What you can do: Develop the habit of planning your writing in a few minutes. Get to know your typical errors and check them.
Speaking
- Challenge for test takers: You only have 1 minute to prepare your ideas for part 2.
- What you can do: Use a mind map to plan clearly and cover all points.
Part of good time management involves knowing when to move on. If you’re having difficulty with a question in the Reading, just move on to the next one. It is better to leave a question and give yourself more time to answer other questions than waste time on a difficult question which you might get wrong.
You should also be ready to move on in the Listening too. Remember that you only get to hear the recording once in the IELTS Listening test. This mean that you should highlight key words in the questions and be ready to move on if you think you haven’t heard the answer to a question.
When it comes to the Writing part of the test, one of the best things you can do to help manage your time is to always have a strategy. Maybe you spend the first few minutes writing notes and organising them or maybe you think, write, check, amend as you go. Different test-takers prefer different approaches, but make sure you have a strategy that works for you.
Another key factor in IELTS success is following the instructions properly. It may sound simple, but people often feel nervous in a test and therefore it can be easy to read too quickly and not pay enough attention to instructions. In IELTS, you must remember to check certain things such as:
- How many words you should write in short answer questions in the Listening and Reading papers.
- When to write letters and when to write words in the Listening and Reading papers.
- The type of essay the question is asking you to write – problem/ solution, agree/ disagree, evaluate different points of view.
Now let’s move on to attention to detail. For example, in Yes, No, Not Given questions in the Reading paper, it’s important to make sure all aspects of the sentence match the information in the text, and this means looking at the details in the sentences.
Also remember that when you transfer your answers in the paper-based Listening test you need to be very careful and make sure you copy them correctly. You should also check spelling in all your written answers and make sure your handwriting is clear. If an examiner can’t read your writing, they can’t mark it.
Now a common misunderstanding about IELTS is that you have to understand every word you read or hear. But you don’t, so don’t panic if you don’t understand a word. Getting a good score in the Listening and Reading does not depend on understanding every word so get used to the feeling of not completely understanding everything.
And in the Speaking test, you can ask the examiner for clarification if you don't understand a question. It's fine to ask the examiner to repeat or rephrase a question so don’t be afraid of doing this.
The last point is to relax and be yourself in the Speaking test – as much as you can in a test! Don’t worry about your accent, just focus on being clear. Smile, use eye contact and body language to help you appear confident and engaged in the conversation. And finally, don’t forget to use intonation, word stress and emphasis to help emphasize your opinions and ideas. These speaking techniques also enable you to show interest and feelings in your conversation with the examiner.
These practical tips can help as part of your overall preparation for the IELTS test, and can contribute to you getting the score you want.
Written by Fiona Aish and Jo Tomlinson
Fiona Aish and Jo Tomlinson both teach EAP and EFL and work as Target English, writing tests and materials for exams and EAP. They have also co-written a number of books for Collins, including IELTS Preparation and Practice & Listening for IELTS.