Learning a language is a long journey and taking tests can help. They give us something to aim for, can be extremely motivating and act as steps or markers along this journey, showing us how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. As with all journeys, preparation is important and IELTS is no exception.
When thinking about preparing for IELTS, consider the following steps:
- Be realistic
Teachers and language experts say it takes between 100 and 200 hours to move up one language level. Learners who are currently at a pre-intermediate or B1 level should therefore not expect to score 6.5 in IELTS for a while! They are simply not ready and don’t have enough language yet.
Remember that everyone makes progress differently and this can be affected by our abilities and preferences. Some learners seem to be able to pick up new vocabulary and use it in the Speaking test easily. Others might have a talent for multiple choice questions and reading long texts quickly. When it comes to the IELTS, there is a lot to learn – from the test format, how the questions work, academic language, to critical thinking and so on. Learning all this takes time and learners all have different strengths and weaknesses. This brings us to the next step.
- Be self-aware
Learners need to know their strengths and weaknesses, whatever their English level. For example, even though a learner might have excellent grammar, they are unlikely to get a good score in the IELTS writing tasks if they don’t know how to describe trends in visual information or write essays. A student may also be quite advanced and love to read novels and online articles about movies, but this won’t have prepared them for the kind of reading required in the academic IELTS test, which has long texts of about 700-800 words written in a formal semi academic style.
Knowing which areas to focus on will help learners make progress with their IELTS preparation so let’s move on to the next step.
- Get organised
There are many resources available to help students prepare for the IELTS test, including books, courses, apps, websites, practice tests and lots more. Learners should research what’s available so that they choose the right resources for them. For example, the Collins Get Ready for IELTS Skills series is aimed at those starting out on their IELTS journey compared to the Collins Skills for IELTS series which is for learners at a higher level.
Learners should also think about the following questions. How much time do they need to achieve the IELTS score they want? How much time do they have to study? Would it be better to join a class, take one-to-one lessons, study online, or self-study? This information will give learners the information they need for the next step.
Spread from Get ready for IELTS - Writing (1st Edition)
- Make a study plan
At first, preparing for IELTS can seem overwhelming; there is a lot to learn about the test and how it works, and on top of this learners have to develop their skills and language to make sure they get a good score. This is where planning can help. For example, make a list of different learning goals and group them together. A plan for Part 2 of the Speaking test might look something like this:
- Record myself for part 2 once a week
- Ask my teacher to listen to the recording and make a list of my grammar mistakes
- Find some grammar exercises to review this grammar
- Research and learn 10 new words for this topic
By breaking learning down into small parts and creating a plan, learners can get moving and start to make progress on their IELTS journey. However, as we’ll see in the next step, it is important that the plan is not too ambitious.
- Set specific and achievable goals
Learners should make sure that they are able to achieve their goals. For example, an achievable vocabulary goal could be “learn ten new words connected with the travel and tourism this week”.
This more effective than saying “increase my vocabulary for travel and tourism” which may be too general. Learners are more likely to make progress using the first example.
And it also means that they can see where they are making progress, as well as areas which are still causing them difficulties. This information is extremely valuable as we will see in the next step.
- Track your progress
Learners need to regularly check up on how their learning journey is going. This can be done by scheduling time to review what they have learnt, reflect on what is going well and what they need to pay more attention to and perhaps revising or adjusting their study plan.
Sometimes it is easier to do this with a friend or classmate or to discuss progress with a teacher. Learners who track and review their progress are likely to remain motivated because they can see how useful improvements are, even small ones. Learners who don’t track their progress might not see improvements, but more importantly they will not be learning from their mistakes, the final step in our preparation journey.
- Learn from your mistakes
If learners can explain why they answered a listening or reading question incorrectly or if they can correct the errors in their speaking or writing, it means that they have a deeper understanding of both English and the IELTS test. This is because recognising and analysing mistakes helps learners identify specific gaps in their knowledge or strategy and helps them improve and avoid the same errors in future tasks.
Wherever learners are on their IELTS preparation journey, following these steps can help them achieve their IELTS goals and hopefully enjoy the journey too.
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.