Strategies for passing the IELTS exam

April 3, 2012 - PRLog -- IELTS TIPS

Tom Porter is one of Unique's IELTS language instructors.  In this article, he provides some useful tips for progressing in the IELTS exams.

Listening

Lots of different accents are used in the IELTS listening exam, so aim to listen to radio stations that have a variety of accents.  Radio Five and LBC would be perfect for this.  

Try and anticipate what the listener is about to say.  Think of the context of the speech as well.

Read the instructions carefully and if you have time, go through the paper again just before the end.


Reading

Read as much as possible before the exam.  Pick up newspapers and magazines that you can find and read as many articles in them as you can.

Don't worry if you don't know anything about the topic.  All the answers will be in the article.

Remember to read the article precisely.  Again, think of context and keep in mind any synonyms of keywords that are being asked in the questions.

If you are unable to answer the question, don't waste valuable time worrying about it.  Return to it later on.


Writing

Divide paragraphs clearly and have a good reason to start a new paragraph or new sentence.  Try not to make paragraphs or sentences that are too long.

Don't waste time by repeating the question or by repeating opinions you have given before.  Remember to be original and creative.

Keep to formal language.  Use "Do not" instead of "don't", "He is" instead of "he is."

Remember to look over some past model answers and keep these in mind when you write your own answer.


Speaking

Practice the speaking exam with a partner beforehand.  Ideally, this would be a native speaker.

Answer as much as you can.  Resist one word answers.  

The examiner will be looking for grammatical accuracy and strong vocabulary but they will also be looking for a confident and engaging speaker.  Remember to communicate well.

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