A few thoughts on preparation for the IELTS exam

Dear Sanjar recently divided into Layfhakere their experiences exam, and I would also like to add my experience of delivery and share tips that may help readers. I never give up before the exam, then I had to pass it the first time this spring, type Acamedic.

And here are the results.

• Listening - 8.5
• Reading - 7.5
• Writing - 6.5
• Speaking - 6.5
• Overall - 7.5

In fact, prior to the preparation

First, you need to estimate a sober view their level of proficiency and on this basis to determine the date of the exam. If you need to pass this exam suddenly next week, and your level tells you that you need to prepare for another, then there is a huge risk that you do not reach their cherished points. Thus, the approximate time of preparation for the exam, depending on the level.

• Elementary - 1 year
• Pre-Intermediate - 10 months
• Intermediate - 5-6 months
• Upper Intermediate - 1-3 months
• Advanced - from 2 weeks to a month

Total tightens level, and then the exam. Of course, all these terms are about but you still need to remember how much time you are willing to devote to it, to be engaged in the preparation. IELTS successfully passing the secret is just one - preparation, preparation and preparation again. Based on my experience, I recommend

minimum 3 hours a day every day with only one weekend on Sunday.

Before you do prepare, we strongly recommend that you go through a trial test, which is available in any collection Cambridge IELTS. Conduct this test as close to combat conditions, ie with a clock and the time limit for each module. Download all collections here.

How, indeed, to prepare?

The main difficulty and beauty of the examination is that the test is complete, and We need to prepare equally to all parts of. But, based on my experience, I would have paid much attention to the module Writing, since traditionally this module is the most difficult to prepare. And often the Writing is the reason that you can not gain their cherished points.

Highlight for himself this time in the schedule, where you feel the most productive for themselves, mental clarity and concentration. Stock up, first of all, materials for teaching, one big-very big total notebook in line for Writing, small notebook for words.

Speaking

The lightest part of the exam. But the danger is that if you use the exam primitive word or design, then you can get a low score. Moreover, you can get caught completely randomly text about anything. So you have to be prepared for any words.

When I took the exam, one girl got a theme associated with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses fun.

Firstly, the first part of the exam consists of traditional stories about himself and his family. This part of you need to learn to talk, without even thinking. Then may follow questions about your hobbies or other things that you like.

The second part of the exam consists in the fact that you will be given a topic, and you have to talk about it for some time, and not be silent. Feel free to tell lies in this taskIf you can not find anything for example.

Preparation for the Speaking consists of two parts. First part - is the completion of its vocabulary and competent construction proposals. I advise you to watch the video, where samples are detailed examinations and write in the notebook at least 150 of the most common grammatical structures, which will help develop your diversity conversation. Vocabulary useful to fill with other modules. Every day, choose two subjects from the Cambridge IELTS or other sources and are working on these questions, writing down his answers on tape recorder and then listen again and correct yourself.

The second part of - a preparation for spontaneity. You can try to do the following: spread out in front of the card with a topic, which can be taken here. Select one at random and try speaking this topic aloud for one minute, then go to the next and so on until you have five topics. Time to prepare an answer - 10 seconds. This exercise will develop your speed of response and quick thinking in English.

Do not pay attention to the focus, the most important thing - say, correctly and clearly.

Small task for you. In this video, a young Syrian passing exams, pay attention to how she responds. By the way, this video with this exam.

Find the video 100 useful words (such as, eventually, concerns, taste, always, make fun, lovely, really, special occasions, recognize, afford), as well as some design (I have to go, you were studying, I prefer listening) - write them down in your notebook.

Now it becomes a logical question: with whom I speak, and who I will be assessed? Firstly, you can go to their city in the club of the amateurs of the English language, if it's there, and say there. Second, you can find a buddy in to Skype. Third, you can speak for yourself and write on tape, and then later to find their mistakes and shortcomings

Rate for $ 8 you can here. You need to burn yourself on the microphone, voicing the proposed topics and wait for the result.

Listening

At the exam you have to listen very carefully, and, moreover, to quickly search for the correct answers as audio sounds only once. The rate of finding answers, too, plays a role.

Preparation here is very simple and enjoyable. You have to listen very, very much. The easiest way out - to download the program to your smartphone and select TuneIn BBC 5 Live there and listen to this radio, or other so-called talk radio for 2:00 in a day. I usually listen to one o'clock in the morning and one hour in the evening, while jogging, I did not listen to your playlists, and fully immersed in the fascinating world of the BBC.

Weekly pass one test of Listening Cambridge IELTS and analyze their mistakes. Often, you can confuse the unfamiliar word, or what actually was meant, but did not directly called.

Reading

There are several tricks:

1. First read this book to distinguish the test most insidious issues Yes / No / Not Given or True / False / Not Given. These issues pose the greatest headache in the test.
2. Master the art of the scanned reading or speed reading, the so-called skimming / scanning. Their principle is almost the same. During the preparation for the exam, proceed as follows: do not read the full text, walk him through the eyes of 10-15 seconds, marking pencil where it is, and go directly to questions. The order of questions is in accordance with the order in the text. By studying each question, go back to the text of the corresponding block and find the answer or read thoughtfully. If you can not answer, feel free to drop the matter and continue to the next.
3. The fundamental error in this module is that too much time is spent on thoughtful reading of the text itself, and not on the immediate reading of the issue, as well as a lot of attention is paid to some issue in the middle or at the beginning of test. Better to skip to another question, rather than lose precious time.
4. Always do a test, whether it is a test or an exam, with a pencil and a clock, marking the moments where there were difficulties with the answer to the question, to get back to it later. Use your writing or marks to immediately find the information.
5. Actually, what to read? In the academic module exam will not be motivating texts about self-development, but instead may be a good scientific article about bees, or arguments about the Albigensian motifs in Dante's poetry. So you should be prepared for a different style of presentation. Here is a list of sites-at least, that should be regularly pochityvat at least an hour and a half in a day:

• The Economist
• New Scientist
• Bloomberg
• BBC
• Gizmodo

Writing

The most insidious, difficult and mozgovynosyaschy module in preparation. Here you will meet several problems:

1. You need a short time to describe the schedule and to write an essay with a certain number of words.
2. You need to find someone who will check your homework. Since you can write anything you want and think for sure that everything is correct, but in fact all of your writings may be totally incorrect. Despite the fact that we should write competently and correctly, yet you need to write an essay on the topic / graphics, correctly answering all questions, whether this opinion with arguments, or something else.
3. You have to use a lot of abstruse words and write beautiful writing speed.

So, where to start:

If you can not even write a single line, or even do not intend to begin, then:

1. Examine the chart or table describing the structure, and then the essay (introduction, main part, conclusion). Download a set of essays here here and proceed as follows: select a couple of dozen standard essays and descriptions of graphs and simply write it in his notebook. Rewrite at least 5 times each essay and graphic description of the table, studying the words and phrases. After a couple of weeks rewrite the 14 essays and 14 plots of 5 times each, and the total you write 140 times some good text, and then you move on and the machine will determine the structure of any essay and graphic arts.
2. When you ripen to an independent essay writing or graphics, be sure to write an essay on the battlefield: 20 minutes on schedule and 40 minutes on an essay, and there are no exceptions at the time.
3. Enrich your notebook useful words and verbal constructions to describe graphs and essays. The use of smart sonorous synonyms instead of simple words will raise your score.

Example words: however, nevertheless, believe, in addition, declined, peak, spread, otherwise, overall. Such words 99.9% will occur in test samples, and the examiners with 100% probability will look forward to them in your essay. Refill verbal constructions. For example, critics ofter forget, while society thinks something... I believe, there is common fact, many people believe, and so on. Plus, this approach is that you can immediately write the introduction and conclusion, and it is one the most important criteria for successful essays and descriptions of graphs and tables

Let your bookmarks will not be less than 300 words and expressionsSo you can write, describe, demonstrate, disprove anything. Check the results in the following way: if you decide to check yourself, after you have written an essay / schedule, take the red paste and check everything. Check your grammar and spelling words. Then, at the end of the week through the errors and analyze them. How can often look at them to remember them. Disadvantage of this method is that you put the assessment itself is unlikely to be able to, but gross errors, of course, find it.

If you have a familiar teacher, who himself handed IELTS, then pay him and give him his essay for review. Or pay attention to this service. In short, you pay $ 19.95 and are sending 8 essays or graphs / tables, and within 3 days you receive a reply, in which underlined mistakes and made adjustments, and in the end put the score. Very convenient service - enjoyed them throughout the training.

Check your scores on the Listening and Reading here.

I will be glad to hear your tips, tricks and tricks in the comments.