Language/English/Vocabulary/Prepare-IELTS

How to prepare the IELTS test

You may be planning to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the most popular and recognized English test in the world. To achieve a satisfactory result at the IELTS, you must not only have an advanced level in English but also master the techniques necessary to take the test. In this lesson, we give you some important tips.

Preparation time

Before preparing for the IELTS exam, you must be clearly aware of your real level in English - particularly productive English.

You must understand, and be aware that the process of learning then moving from one level to another can take time and effort.

Preparation time may vary depending on your present level of English and natural language acquisition abilities.

Normally, universities require a band from between 6.5 to 7 which corresponds to an advanced or C1 level. There might also be specific requirements for skills such as writing.

If you think you are at this level, you can focus on:

• The structure of the examination that you must know perfectly (the different parts that compose it)
• The techniques and tactics to pass the exam
• Doing practise exams, or simulations, until systematically achieving the same result

It is preferable that your English level is a little higher than what you wish to attain. This allows for a small margin for error in case that, on the day of the examination, stress and pressure reduce your exam performance.

If you think that you do not have the necessary level in all skills then it is best to concentrate firstly on your weaknesses and work on them.

How to prepare for the IELTS exam?

It is VERY important to know the structure of the examination, the different parts that make it up, their durations, and the the evaluation criteria for each part. If you are familiar with the exam and know exactly what the examiners expect from you, then you will be even better able to optimize your review time.

➡ This IELTS page gives you information you need about this.

Techniques for prior preparation:

1. reading: be a reader. You should read a minimum of 1 hour per day in order to get ready for reading section. Read different books and magazines in both British and American English on a wide range of topics.
2. listening: listening to English radio and TV ( BBC, CNN, VOA ). There is often one listening task with an Australian speaker. abc.net.au is a good source for practising for that.
3. Learn grammar points for writing and speaking and how to differentiate written and spoken forms of English as well as formal and informal register.
4. Practise writing on and speaking about a wide range of topics.

IELTS leans more towards British English than American English. Put more effort towards British English. If your English-learning background is American English, then it would be advisable to become familiar with, at the very least, some of the basic elements of British English. For example, date formats are different in British and American English, not to mention differences in grammar, word usage, spelling and pronunciation.

There is a far greater emphasis in IELTS than other English certifications, such as TOEFL or TOEIC, to be able to use language elements such as vocabulary and grammar. Aim to be functional in any vocabulary and grammar that you learn, not just merely "recognising" it when you see it.

The techniques

For each part of the examination, we suggest the following technique

Part 1 - Listening

Plan

As you read each of the questions - you will have time for that - you can already predict what kind of information you will need for the answer: a date, a number, a name ... This will allow you, from the dialogue, to more easily recognise the answer you need.

Anticipate

Dialogues, such as speeches and broadcasts, usually use a vocabulary different from that used in the context of the questions. Try to identify the keywords for each question, and look for synonyms for each of these keywords. Thus, when listening to a dialogue, these synonyms will already give you a response track. On the other hand, during the dialogue, certain words will be emphasized: this means that the answer will follow ...

Special Words

In the third part of this test you will hear a professor or an expert develop a specific theme in a speech or other formal dialogue. In this type of speaking, they frequently use special words to introduce their ideas. Words - or discourse markers - that give order and meaning to their speech such as however, finally, secondly or additional. Use these special words as guides: they warn you that a response element is contained in the following, usually normally.

Part 2 - Reading

You should limit yourself to 20 minutes for each reading (about 5 minutes for each question). During your exam preparation at home, make sure you time your responses. Here are some techniques and tricks for each type of question.

1. Quickly read the title of the reading to give you an idea of its contents. Then quickly scan the text to gain additional context, meaning and understanding of the text layout.
2. Go directly to the questions section. Start with questions that ask for a number, a date, a number ... Elements of answer easy to find in the text.
3. All questions have keywords that you can highlight. So, afterwards, you can directly search these keywords in the text. Read the information just before and the ones just after: the answer will necessarily be there. If you do not find this keyword, look for a synonym.
4. In each game, the questions follow the order of playback. In fact, when you find an answer in the text, the answer to the next question should be near, at least, before the end of the paragraph or in the next paragraph.
5. In the game: True / False / Not given Remember that you have to answer.
   1. False when you can demonstrate the opposite, and therefore the truth, in another answer / question.
   2. Not given when you can not find any related answer in the text
6. In the part: title - paragraph
   1. Keep this step for the end of the exam. By making the other parts first, this will familiarize you with the elements of each paragraph. This will make it easier for you to identify the main idea of each paragraph and find the corresponding title.
   2. In the instructions it is always said whether you should use a title for each paragraph or if you can use the same title more than once. In the first case, strip the title once used: this will allow you to no longer have to reread it ... or will prevent you from using it again by mistake.

Part 3 - Writing

Task 1

You must allow 20 minutes to write your essay of at least 150 words. The answer should be structured as follows

• A small introduction: you can paraphrase the information that is given next to the figure to be analyzed, such as a graph, diagram or map.
• The general idea: write a short paragraph that sums up the most important of what you have to analyze. Describe general trends. If you do not take the time to write this paragraph, you will lose points.
• Specific details: In this paragraph, you will have to highlight and compare the main differences and similarities that emerge from the figure to be analyzed. You can also select and describe the key points, and do not forget to add numbers and numbers that reflect the most significant changes.

Note: As part of a diagram that describes a process, you must go back through each step of this process.

• Conclusion: write a simple sentence that describes the figure to be analyzed or, more precisely, a sentence that summarizes what you wrote in the "general idea" section.

Task 2

You will need about 40 minutes to write a test of at least 250 words.

Important: Reserve at least 5 minutes to write (to draft) the plan of your essay, identify your position, your arguments and ideas that support your position and your conclusion. If you write too quickly what comes to you (directly on the sheet), your essay will be incoherent and will not answer perfectly all the parts of the question.

Questions relating to this test may be of three types (described below).

You must know each type of question beforehand in order to help you, on the day of the exam, to identify the one that best suits you and to help you know how to answer it.

A. Problem / solution

question about the cause / effects of a situation

• Introduction: describe the problem and its effects
• Paragraph 2: the causes of the problem
• Paragraph 3: possible solutions to this problem
• Conclusion: the possible results following the application of these solutions

B. Opinion

a question of how much you agree or disagree with the theme

• Introduction: describe your position in relation to the theme
• Paragraph 2 and paragraph 3: the arguments that support your position
• Conclusion: You must always agree with the position taken in the introduction, and do not add any additional arguments in the conclusion. Make sure you paraphrase here and don't repeat word for word what you have previously written.

C. Discussion

the advantages and disadvantages of certain situations

• Introduction: describe your position in relation to the theme
• Paragraph 2: the arguments that support your position
• Paragraph 3: the arguments against
• Conclusion: Again, you must always agree with the position taken in the introduction, and do not add any additional arguments in the conclusion. Again, make sure you paraphrase any information which you repeat.

Getting a good grade in this part of the exam depends on your position in relation to the assessment criteria. I therefore recommend that you read these evaluation criteria carefully.

Note: these structures (plans for your test) are only recommendations.

Part 4 - Speaking

In this part of the exam, the examiners will focus on your ability to fluently and accurately communicate and discuss in English.

During the interview, you will be able to be assessed on your abilities to:

• Give personal information
• Give impersonal information
• Express a preference
• Express an opinion
• Compare
• Summarize
• Explain
• Correct errors
• Suggest
• Justify an opinion
• Analyse

Recommended tools

Books

• The Official Cambridge Guide To Ielts Student's Book With Answers
• English Grammar in Use Book with Answers and Interactive eBook: Self-Study Reference and Practice Book
• Cambridge English: IELTS 11 Academic with Answers
• New Insight into Ielts Students

Websites

• http://www.ielts-exam.net/
• http://www.ieltsliz.com
• http://selfstudymaterials.com/2017/05/01/official-cambridge-guide-ielts-academic-general-training/

Sources

• https://www.ielts.org/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNVbIA8Os0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyYHs1-6Vls
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TAhwbB8GKM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLz8mpHmtPk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nrujcxJSNs
• https://www.quora.com/Which-book-is-the-best-for-IELTS-self-preparation
• https://www.mosalingua.com/blog/2015/07/21/conseils-pour-preparer-examen-ielts/
• https://polyglotclub.com/language.php?question_id=37141

Related Lessons

• Useful Sentenses
• Language registers
• As usual
• Phrasal verbs with out
• “In the office” or “at the office”
• PHRASAL VERBS WITH OUT
• Phrasal Verbs and their Equivalent
• At Home
• Also, as well and too
• As well as