IELTS examination is one of the most prestigious English proficiency tests all over the world. It is the standard of acceptance to universities and colleges in English-speaking countries, such as the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and some colleges in the USA.
The test is conducted in collaboration by IDP Australia and British Council for students who wish to seek admission to colleges in English speaking countries.
IELTS tests students' English language proficiency based on speaking, listening, writing, and reading. This evaluation and its scores are accepted by over 10,000 government and private authorities in the world and is often referred to as a standard for entry into any English speaking country. The scores are popularly known as bands, and most universities accept six bands as a ballpark to seek admission. However, scoring better is obviously a plus as it helps one seek admission at a better institution and has some added perks as well.
The current pandemic and the havoc that it has wreaked in every part of the world has brought our lives to a standstill. This has also affected the plans you had of taking classes to prepare for IELTS under a professional instructor. This calls for a different study plan, and hence, you will have to begin studying at home and build a routine to score well in this exam.
This write up aims to help students prepare for their IELTS test from home through different tips and tricks:
This is the most important aspect of studying for any exam is following a routine and sticking to it. Since there are four different modules of the IELTS Exam: speaking, listening, reading, and writing, you will have to divide your time accordingly. You must devote time to each section, and go into the details of it by dedicating even more time to the sections you think you're weak at. This way, you will be able to ace the modules you're good at and also increase your efficiency in the parts you struggle with. Your study plan must be balanced and made with careful deliberation.
If you really want someone to guide you through the process of preparation and assess your performance, you can go for online tutorials and classes. This way, someone can give you tasks to perform and also score you on the basis of your performance. Online classes are a great way of learning when at home and help keep your progress in check. A number of coaching centres have been offering and taking classes online. IELTS Trainers regularly take classes, assign homework and tasks, and even take tests to help students even during these hard times.
The best way to gain proficiency over any language is by speaking it. Likewise, if you wish to be proficient in English, you must make sure you try to speak the language. Since you're at home, you must talk to your family in English and when speaking to your friends over the phone trying to speak English as well. When you speak in English, you will obviously become more confident, and in this case, confidence is key. Talking in English will also make you automatically identify your mistakes and will help you be more fluent.
Since IELTS involves testing all your skills, you have to practice more and more in order to be proficient. A number of tests and practice papers are available on the web as well as certain books with study material also include test papers. These test papers are exclusively curated for students based on existing IELTS question papers and frequently asked questions. You can begin by practicing general English writing and taking up writing tasks that are frequented in IELTS. You can also perform speaking tasks in front of the mirror, and also time your tasks as per the timings on your final test. Practise papers enlist tasks for every module, and you can take up these tasks.
If there is one thing that can improve your English speaking skills, it is reading. Reading helps you learn a language properly from grammar and punctuations to improving your vocabulary and word usage. The best way to start reading is through a newspaper since the current state of the world has made it impossible for you to get access to a newspaper you can always read news online on the e-news apps such as BBC News, New York Times, The Hindu, Economic Times, and so on. Reading will also help increase your speed while allowing you to gain knowledge. It also helps you to increase your attention span and not be easily distracted, which is essential when taking the final exam.
The key to doing well for any examination is by minimizing the stress. The moment you start beating yourself up and stressing out about your performance, it will make things harder for you. You must learn to cope with the stress; otherwise, it can take a toll on your mental health and adversely affect your test scores. You don't have to keep studying 24/7 or be neck-deep in books for hours. This exam is more about smart work, then hard work, you must be smart about what and how you're studying.
An entertaining yet efficient way of improving your English speaking skills is watching English movies, videos, and documentaries. This is a fun way of learning new words, familiarizing yourself with new accents, and sentence construction. You need to be familiar with accents while taking the listening exam, and you must have a coherent understanding of accents from various countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, the USA, Australia, and so on. This is a fun way of learning, which also keeps your interest intact and increases your attention span.
These trips and tricks can easily help you nail your IELTS exam. From watching movies to talking in English day in and out, everyone has a unique way of exam preparation, and not everyone needs to study at a coaching institute to ace the exam. But you must remember, in the end, it is only your grit and determination that will help you ace the exam and perform better.
