How to Prepare for IELTS Exam

Best Ways on How to Prepare for IELTS Exam | Free IELTS Study Material & Preparation Tips

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How To Prepare For IELTS Exam: When deciding to go abroad for any reason, from getting a degree to getting a job, one common exam that everyone must take is the IELTS. IELTS, as one of the most widely accepted tests in the world, can be your ticket to travel abroad. Especially for a country like the United Kingdom, where IELTS is the only secure English test approved by UKVI for visa applications both inside and outside the country.

Although passing the IELTS exam is often regarded as a difficult task, it is not so difficult after all. All you need to do is prepare thoroughly. Although preparing for your IELTS exam can be challenging and leave you in a completely blind state. This is why we have put together a series of helpful steps to get you started and learn how to prepare for IELTS at home without coaching.

How to Prepare for IELTS Exam at Home?

Cambridge provides a free IELTS Preparation Book when you register for your IELTS. This serves as a handy guide to the test, providing a detailed understanding of the test format, planning, common errors, and how to avoid them.

We have a wide range of free IELTS study materials and tools available on our website to help you prepare for your IELTS.
The IELTS exam is now divided into two types: Academic and General. They are the same IELTS tests; only the purpose of taking the test and a small portion of the syllabus differs. Whereas Academic IELTS is usually taken by people who want to go abroad to finish their secondary education, gain work experience, or migrate temporarily, General IELTS is usually taken by people who want to go abroad to finish their secondary education, gain work experience, or migrate temporarily.

As you may be aware, IELTS is divided into four sections: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Furthermore, you must prepare for each section of the exam separately. If you want to book your IELTS test but aren’t sure where to begin your preparation, keep reading the steps to get your IELTS preparation online a good start.

Section Wise Preparation Guide for IELTS Exam

IELTS Exam Listening Guide

  • In the first recording, you will be required to listen to and answer questions about a conversation between two people. These recordings can now be made in any accent, including American, British, Australian, and Asian English.
  • To prepare for this, you must first become acquainted with these accents. You’ll have to watch videos, lots and lots of videos. We recommend watching Ted Talks or conversational debates on BBC or CNN.
  • The second recording is a social context speech, and the fourth is a University speech.
  • The key to preparing for both of these recordings is to focus on the central idea conveyed in the recording.
  • Along with that, you must understand what other issues are highlighted in the recording and how the speaker presents his idea.
  • The third recording is usually a four-person group discussion. Understanding the main topic of discussion is also very important to you here.
  • Also, try to recall the names of those involved in the conversation, as well as any specific references.
  • When watching videos to prepare for the exam, start with those that have subtitles because they will help you understand them better and will also help you improve your vocabulary.
  • Finally, patiently listen to each recording and try to remember only the most important parts of it. Don’t fill your mind with useless information. This, of course, requires a great deal of practice. So to make you do better in your IELTS exam we are here to help you.

Speaking Guide for IELTS Exam Preparation

  • This is the best part of the exam. However, with a few pointers, you can easily overcome them.
  • The first task in this section requires you to answer some basic questions about yourself, such as family, hobbies, and aspirations. So, the key here is to provide prompt, detailed responses while avoiding gossip, which can make a negative impression on the examiner.
  • The second task requires you to speak for approximately 2 minutes on a specific topic. Try to easily convey your understanding of the given topic here.
    Use facts to back up your answer, but only those that you are certain of. Use of misleading facts or hoodwinks may land you in hot water.
  • Everything you say should be concise, specific, and confident.
  • The third task requires you to respond to the examiner’s questions about the topic you discussed. Again, be specific and confident in what you’re saying.
  • Be sure of what you said in the previous task because the examiner may ask you tricky questions to cause you to contradict yourself. Do not be taken in by it.
  • When responding to the examiner, try not to sound overly enthusiastic or even nervous. Respond calmly and intelligently. If you don’t know the answer to a question, try not to babble incomplete answers with broken facts. Simply answer as much as you know, and if you don’t, tell the examiner.

See More: IELTS Indicator Test

IELTS Exam Reading Guide

  • In this section, you must read and answer questions about three long passages, each of which contains approximately 300 words, so the first thing you must learn is how to speed read.
  • This skill can only be developed by developing a habit of reading and reading a lot before taking the exam. Because you won’t have much time to re-read the passages, try to understand them the first time you read them.
  • In your head, try to summarize the main idea of the passages. This will allow you to answer the questions more accurately. Keep in mind what the author is trying to say in the passages and how he bases his argument on it.
  • Learn how to skim through a passage because it will come in handy when looking for answers to all of your questions. Be very specific about each answer when writing it. If you aren’t, double-check, but try to be as precise as possible.
  • Make it a habit to read extensively before exams. This is the only way to improve your score in this section. Improve your vocabulary as well. After all, you don’t want to be stuck trying to figure out what a specific word in the passage means.  You can find the IELTS sample guide on our website for you to go through.

Read More:

IELTS Writing Guide

  • In this section, you must complete two tasks in 60 minutes: a 150-word description of the given figure or graph and a 250-word essay. It is wiser to complete the essay first, as it takes more time, and then move on to task 1.
  • When writing the essay, make certain that you convey the main idea of the essay precisely and in a very understandable manner. Furthermore, build the topic’s argument smoothly so that each paragraph appears to be linked to the previous one.
  • You must clearly understand the concept conveyed by the given diagram. Furthermore, comprehend the values provided and construct your description based on the comparison of these values.
  • Develop a strong vocabulary and improve your writing speed. Finishing both tasks in 60 minutes is a challenge, and doing so requires a writing habit. Avoid making silly punctuation errors or using abbreviations, as these can lower your score. For the essay, use formal language.

IELTS Exam Preparation Tips

Below we have outlined some of the best preparation tips that can help you clear your IELTS Exam with flying colors. They are along the lines as follows

Prepare Yourself

The first and most obvious suggestion is that you be prepared. Begin studying as soon as possible before the exam. This way, you’ll have enough time to plan out your studies before diving in. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll be on exam day. Use our best study materials for IELTS preparation, and our good counselor can assist you in this regard.

Recognize the Test Format

You must understand the format of the test before you begin practicing. Review the test content, as well as the question and task types for each section, to become acquainted with it. Remember that familiarity with the test pattern and format is the key to success in any examination, not just IELTS.

Discover the Various Types of Questions

The IELTS Academic and General Training tests are divided into four sections: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The question types in each section of the test differ. Learn about the different types of questions that may appear in each test section, as well as the time allotted to complete the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking tests.

Improve Your Language Skills

To take the IELTS, you must have adequate language skills, and we don’t just mean vocabulary; we mean a combination of good vocabulary and flawless grammar. Also, make sure you are good with punctuation because it is important in the writing section. You don’t want to lose points for such insignificant errors.

Recognize the Band Scores

You will be given an overall band score as well as individual band scores for each test section. Band scores are given in whole and half bands, for example, 7.0, and 8.5. It’s a good idea to learn what each score means and the marking criteria that examiners use for the Speaking and Writing tests. Our complete guide to IELTS Band Scores has some excellent information to help you with this.

Conclusion

We’ve covered everything you need to know about preparation in this blog. We hope that this guide aids in preparing for the IELTS Exam plan and that you are better prepared to obtain the IELTS band score you require.

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