Score Smart’s Best Tips for Acing the IELTS

If you’re seeking to study, work or live in the U.S. or another English-speaking country, it is likely you will have to prove your proficiency in English.

Many higher learning institutions will require you to take the IELTS exam, or the International English Language Testing System. Of 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. that enroll more than 1,000 international students, approximately 99% accept the IELTS. Most schools require a minimum score in order to apply.

The IELTS is an intense, 3-hour test that can make or break your future, so you need to take it seriously and find the smartest ways to study. A personal, online tutor is going to be the quickest route to success. With experience not only on the test content, but with tried and true techniques how to excel, an IELTS tutor like Melissa Daniels will give you the best advantage.

Score Smart client Salma Hussain from the American School of Doha recently achieved the IELTS test results she desired using our online tutoring services: “[Melissa] helped me with the IELTS test, and my writing skills improved tremendously and eventually I achieved high scores. I’m truly grateful for her aid and couldn’t have asked for a better equipped teacher.”

The IELTS contains four sections – reading, listening, speaking and writing -- and you’ll want to know exactly how to master each. In our years of working with people just like you to ace the IELTS, here are a few of our best strategies to do that:

READING

You will read three different text sections and answer a set of questions about each.

• 40 questions + 60 minutes = 90 seconds per question. Yes, this is reading not math, but know how to manage your time and stay on track. It’s better to skip the questions you don’t know and come back to them than to get behind and miss out on answering the easy questions.

• Read the questions first, then read the text. This will help you focus on important details as you read.

• Learn and study the types of questions that are on the reading section. You’ll be more likely to interpret and answer the question correctly.

• The questions will likely be in the same order as the text. For example, answers to the first questions will be in the first part of the text.

• Read, read, read in preparation for this section. This will improve your vocabulary, quicken your reading speed, and help you learn to infer meaning even when you don’t know a specific vocabulary word in the text.

LISTENING

You will listen to four recordings and answer questions about them. You will hear the recordings only once.

• You get 45 seconds of prep time before you start listening. Use this time to read the questions. Look for key words and think about the type of answer you’re looking for: a name? a number?

• If you don’t know the answer, guess. You are scored based only on the number of questions you get correct, so don’t leave any unanswered.

• You get 10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers from the question sheet to your answer sheet. Practice this so you can do it quickly and correctly.

• Spelling counts! An answer will be marked wrong if it is spelled incorrectly. Don’t worry about this so much when you’re making notes and answering on your question sheet, but be sure to double check your spelling on your answer sheet.

• One of the best ways to study for this section is to practice taking notes while listening. Use recorded speeches, lectures, or TED talks. Your personal tutor can also teach you techniques for note-taking while listening.

SPEAKING

This section consists of three parts lasting a total of 11-14 minutes. In the first, the interviewer will ask you a few questions on subjects familiar to you (your home or your work, for example). In the second, you will be given a cue card with a topic and expected to speak on the topic for 1-2 minutes. In the third, the interviewer will ask you questions about the topic you just spoke about.

• This section is the shortest but perhaps the most nerve-wracking. Practice, practice, practice through conversation with others. Recording yourself is also a great study tactic.

• Speak in full, complete sentences but don’t be afraid of spontaneity and expressing your option. These things show you are not using rehearsed answers.

• Try to dominate the conversation and speak more than the interviewer. Don’t be rude, but it’s better if they have to stop you than for there to be silence.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or for the interviewer to repeat a question.

• It’s okay to make mistakes. At the same time, keep it simple so as to not get in over your head. If you can’t find the right word for a moment, just take a deep breath and continue on. Use other words to describe what you’re trying to say. The bigger picture is your grasp on the language as a whole. 

• Speaking of being “in over your head,” learn English idioms and try to use at least one on your exam.

WRITING

You will complete two sections in 60 minutes. In Task 1, you will look at a chart or graph and write a summary or explanation of the information (150 words, 20 minutes). In Task 2, you will read a statement or opinion and have to write an essay in response (250 words, 40 minutes).

• Study the four parts of the writing criteria ahead of time so you know what reviewers are looking for.

• Complete Task 2 first because it is worth more points.

• Make sure you directly answer the question and make all of your points relevant. Give examples and ideas to support those points.

• Stick with the basics: introductory sentences, three body paragraphs addressing one point each, summary and conclusion. Within each body paragraph, use a topic sentence and then supporting sentences.

•Write many practices essays using 20- and 40-minute timelines and have a specialized tutor grade them with the same standards as the IELTS. Practicing and getting feedback is truly the best way to master this part of the IELTS.

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Use these super helpful tips along with individualized tutoring and you’ll achieve the high IELTS score that you need to pursue your dreams in another country.

Contact us today for your free 20-minute tutoring demonstration lesson and see how easy it is to get started!