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Ielts How To Study
The best way to prepare for the IELTS exam
- Take a practice test. …
- Understand the test format. …
- Be aware of the exam time constraints. …
- Develop your English capabilities and IELTS strategies. …
- Multitask when listening in English. …
- Develop a wide range of reading skills. …
- Use appropriate and assertive English terms when writing.
Preparing for your test can be daunting and leave you feeling incredibly overwhelmed about where to begin, which is why we have put together a series of useful steps to get you started.
Take a practice test
Guide your preparation, by taking a practice test to begin with and identify your weaknesses. This is a critical part in your initial preparation that will help establish where your strengths and weaknesses are. Not only is it necessary to improve on your weaknesses, but it is equally essential to build up on your strengths to create a solid foundation for the examination.
However, if you struggle to refrain from these mistakes or are unable to clearly identify them, you definitely need an expert by your side. Most test-takers consider taking an IELTS preparation course, one of the easiest ways to approach the test, as it focuses solely on getting you exam-ready for IELTS.
Understand the test format
Before your begin practising, it’s extremely important that you know what to expect of the test format. Familiarise yourself with it by reviewing the content of the test, as well as the question and task types for each section.
Remember the key to success in any examination and not just IELTS is a sound familiarity with the test pattern and format.
Be aware of the exam time constraints
The clearer understanding you develop regarding the test structure, the higher your chances are to completing it successfully within the allocated time frame.
Conduct your preparation under timed conditions, so you become accustomed to the pace of the test.
Remember the IELTS test has a time limit and you will only have the time given for each module. If you are unable to complete the modules within the allocated time or if you cannot concentrate accordingly due to the timing pressure.
All preparation done in classes of a preparation course, are conducted under the same timed conditions as the exam, so you’re ready for the pace of the IELTS test.
Develop your English capabilities and IELTS strategies
One of the biggest mistakes students make is to focus only on IELTS. They do lots of IELTS practice tests but they forget to improve their English.
Most Indonesian IELTS learners are unaware of their current English level, which is often Intermediate or below, and do not consider or forget that IELTS is an English proficiency test. As such, your English is expected to be top notch.
Keep in mind that learning IELTS is a process. On average it takes 12 weeks to move up a score band by one point.
Start preparing for your test at least 3 – 6 months prior. We highly recommend finding an institution which will help you with English development and IELTS strategies.
Multitask when listening in English
It’s no secret that the IELTS test is demanding and the listening module is no different. You will have to provide answers to 40 questions throughout 4 recordings. The recordings will be played only once. Typical questions include sentence completion, summary completion, form completion and multiple choice.
It is not surprising to get lost during a conversation, but you need to recover fast or you will miss all the questions of that task afterwards. This would be a disaster. As such, it is essential to understand how to follow a conversation, even if you miss something and how you can recover to continue answering the next questions.
You are also expected to understand what type of information to supply depending on the question type. Is it a number, a name, an address?
Develop a wide range of reading skills
The sole purpose of the reading module is to test a wide range of reading skills. Reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument, and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.
Test takers have to provide short answers, match information, complete sentences, match headings or complete diagram labels.
Ensure you practice includes a wide variety of questions so that you become accustomed to each type.
Timing is of the essence in the reading module and you simply will not have the time to go through the texts several times. There are strategies to help you to avoid this situation. For example, how to skim the text and what kind of information you need to focus on.
Use appropriate and assertive English terms when writing
The writing module is perhaps the one that most people struggle with. Both tasks in the academic training must be written in a formal style.
Task 1 requires that you describe and explain data, which you may be an expert at, this requires significant practice in English.
Task 2 presents a number of challenges. Often, the topic given can be hard to develop if you are not familiar with it. In addition, the essay must have a proper structure.
You need to be prepared to answer both tasks and understand the requirements of each.
You should use appropriate language to complete Task 1 questions and ensure your practice includes the different types of charts (line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables, multiple data sources, processes, diagrams) to ensure you are prepared in the test.
For Task 2 question preparation, familiarise yourself with the structure of an essay, how to develop it, how to write the introduction and the conclusion. You must be able to connect your ideas using appropriate English. Additionally, practice writing about topics that are common on the IELTS so you become familiar with them.
A preparation course will you expose to you the different types of essays that commonly come up on IELTS such as: Agree or Disagree, Discuss two Opposing Opinions, Advantages and Disadvantages, Problems and Solutions, Causes and Solutions, Causes and Effects.
Speak with fluency or coherence in direct communication
This test is less than 15 minutes long and is split into three parts. The first 5 minutes are reserved for introduction and general topics between the test taker and the examiner. The second part assesses the test taker’s ability to speak about a random topic given on a task card. The last part merely adds complexity to the second. At this stage, the examiner will also pay attention to pronunciation, lexical resource and fluency.
Practicing each part under exam conditions is essential to your test preparation and will get used to the pressure you will have during the test. You need to be able to write down notes that will help you to talk for two minutes during the second part of the test.
You should also practice answering questions when you don’t really know the answer. Remember that your knowledge is not assessed but your English language proficiency is.
the effts he or she makes
Remember persistence is the key to success during the preparatory phase of the examination.
Immerse yourself in English
Expose yourself to as much language as you can alongside your test preparation. Read things that interest you in English, online magazines or blogs can be a great place to start.
Write some English every day, by writing a diary, keeping a blog or communicating with an online community such as people on a Facebook group that share an interest with you
Listen to native speakers talking to one another and if possible join in. Try the ‘shadowing’ technique. This involves repeating what someone has just said in English. This will help with pronunciation, intonation and stress.
Bear in mind self-learning is possible as long as you are committed and find someone who is able to give you feedback.
If you are unable to commit or cannot find a suitable partner, find an institution that can guide you and give feedback.
ielts syllabus
Considered as an entry ticket to study abroad, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an English language proficiency exam for candidates who do not have English as their first language but are willing to attain overseas education. The test consists of 4 sections namely Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. While the listening and the speaking sections remain the same for all, the reading and writing sections are different for the General Training and Academic papers. In this blog, we will provide you with a detailed IELTS syllabus to make your preparation easy.
Types of IELTS
Before straight away diving into the IELTS syllabus and exam pattern, let’s briefly discuss the different types of IELTS exams too:
IELTS Academic
Candidates who want to apply for higher education or professional registration in countries where English is the primary medium of communication should take IELTS Academic. The primary goal of the test is to determine whether an applicant is ready to begin learning or training in English. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are among the countries that accept IELTS for academic purposes.
IELTS General Training
IELTS General Training is for people who want to migrate to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom, or who want to apply for secondary school, training programmes, or job experience in an English-speaking country. The focus of this examination is on a candidate’s basic survival skills in a broad social and workplace setting.
IELTS Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2022
There are two types of IELTS exams, i.e. IELTS Academic and IELTS General. The syllabus for these remains the same and only differs slightly. Before elaborating on the IELTS syllabus, let’s take a look at the exam pattern as well as the maximum duration allotted to each section:
Section | Number of Questions & Duration | Content | Marks |
Listening | 4 Recordings 40 Questions30 Minutes + 10 minutes transfer time | Four recorded monologues and conversations | 1 mark per question |
Reading | 40 Questions 60 minutes | 3 Passages (can be descriptive, analytical, factual or discursive) | 1 mark per question |
Writing | 2 Questions 60 minutes | Writing task (minimum 150 words) Essay (minimum 250 words) | Each task is assessed independently. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1. |
Speaking | 3 Questions 11-14 minutes | Part 1: Q&APart 2: Speaking in detail on a familiar topicPart 3: Structure Discussion | – |
All about IELTS Exam Pattern & Test Format
IELTS Reading Section
This section comprises three general texts on the topics relevant for the candidates who want to study undergraduate and postgraduate courses, work, or migrate to counties abroad.
- The reading modules contain three sections with 40 questions which are majorly MCQs.
- Identifying data for short answer questions, sentence or summary completion, identifying writer’s attitudes/views and matching list or phrases are some of the areas where the skills of candidates are examined.
- Students will be provided 30 minutes and 10 minutes of transfer time to solve the section. Tabulated below are the major differences between the IELTS syllabus of the 2 types of Reading sections:
IELTS Reading: Academic vs General
IELTS Syllabus-Academic | IELTS Syllabus- General Training |
Three long paragraphs are given which could be factual, descriptive or analytical.The probable source of the paragraphs are newspapers, books, journals, research works, etc. and aim to examine the English skills of working professionals or students. | Three paragraphs are similar in structure to the academic section and can be extracted from the company |
IELTS Writing Section
In this section, the candidates will be evaluated on their skills to fluently write a general report or a short essay.
- There are only two questions in the portion of the IELTS exam. In the first question, the candidates will be provided with a diagram, data, or a table and then they have to represent the information in their own words. The word limit of this question is 150 words.
- In the second question, candidates are provided with an argument, or point of view problems. The objective is to assess the candidate on the opinion, justifications, ideas, and evidence they provide for the answer. In total, the candidates will be provided 60 minutes to solve this section.
IELTS Writing: Academic vs General
IELTS Syllabus-Academic | IELTS Syllabus- General Training |
Number of Questions: 2The candidate has to recapitulate and define the provided diagram or data within 150 words essay based on the definition of 1st answer inclusive of the examples | Number of Questions: 2Candidates have to write a letter as per the given situation. It can be personal, formal, semi-formal depending upon the questions. The applicant will also be required to write an essay to support the letter, citing the relevant instances (if any) |
Know about How to Prepare for IELTS Online?
IELTS Listening Section
This section of the IELTS exam is divided into four parts where the candidates will be provided with audio clips. While the first would be about social needs, the other two would be related to situations regarding education. The audio clips could either be a dialogue or a monologue that will run for a duration of around three minutes and will be played once only. Based on these clips, short answers, note completion, MCQ and many other types of questions will be asked. The IELTS syllabus of this section consists of-
- Audio 1- Dialogue based on social contexts
- Audio 2- Monologue about the everyday social issues
- Audio 3- Conversation between 4 people regarding education
- Audio 4- Monologue on an academic subject
IELTS Speaking Section
Conducted as an interview, this section examines the general communication skills of the candidates. It would ultimately lead to a complete analysis of whether the candidate can speak proficiently in English or not. A three-tier process, this section of the IELTS syllabus will start with a short introduction, individual long-run, and a final in-depth discussion. Listed below are the components assessed in this section:
Part 1 (Introduction Followed by an Interview)
In this task, the candidates have to introduce themselves talking about their family, hobbies, interests, educational background, etc in about 4-5 minutes.
Part 2 (Long Turn)
In this part of IELTS speaking, the candidates will be provided with a flashcard with a topic written on it. They can take a few minutes to think, familiarize themselves with the topic given, and then speak on it for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards, the interviewer might also have some questions to evaluate the candidate’s understanding of the topic.
Part 3 (Discussion)
There would be a detailed discussion on the topic given in Part 2 and the candidate’s speech as well as comprehension. You will get the chance to delve deeper into the topic and cover it in an elaborated manner. This task generally encompasses the duration of 5-6 minutes.
IELTS Syllabus in Detail
Now that you are familiar with the standard IELTS syllabus, let us now check out some details of it as per particular sections:
Listening
- Recording 1 – A conversation (Two people set in an everyday social context)
- Recording 2 – A monologue (An everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local government)
- Recording 3 – A conversation (Set between up to four people in an educational or training context)
- Recording 4 – A monologue (On an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture)
Speaking
- Task 1 – General questions about yourself on familiar topics, such as family, work, studies, home, and interests. Duration of his part is between 4-5 minutes
- Part 2 – You will pick a card with a topic and you will talk about it. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. This will be followed by 2-3 questions by the examiner on the same topic.
- Part 3 – More questions will be asked to you on the same topic as in task 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. The duration of this task is the same as the 1st one.
Reading (Academic and General Training)
- Task Type 1 – Multiple Choice: The questions will involve completing a sentence by choosing the right option.
- Task Type 2 – Identifying Information: You will be required to answer the question in ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘not given’.
- Task Type 3 – Identifying Writer’s Views/Claims: You will have to answer the questions in ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not given’.
- Task Type 4 – Matching Information: You will be asked to find specific details in the form of an example, reason, description, comparison, summary and explanation.
Writing (Academic)
- Task 1: You will be required to describe facts or figures presented in one or more graphs, charts or tables on a related topic; or they may be given a diagram of a machine, a device or a process and asked to explain how it works.
- Task 2: You will be given a topic to write about an academic or semi-formal/neutral style.
Writing (General Training)
- Task 1 – You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
- Task 2 – You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
IELTS Preparation Tips
IELTS Coaching
The global pandemic has changed everything around us. Traditional coaching centres have now started offering online classes. Leverage Live is one of the best online learning platforms available out there for preparation. With well-versed faculty, well-structured study material, high-quality video content, doubt clarification sessions, personalized study plans, and motivating teachers, you will surely get a high score in each section.