What you need to know about the IELTS speaking test.
Here are a few tips for the IELTS speaking test from an IELTS speaking examiner. 1. Make sure you know what you have to do in the exam. It is really awkward when people come in without knowing anything about the exam. You ask them about their job and they just talk and talk and talk. The exam is not a chance for you to just speak. You are being tested by the examiner and talking about whatever you like is not...
What should I do in the IELTS preparation to pass the exam in September? I am so nervous.
This is a question we get quite a lot and one of the examiners here has this advice. You have quite a bit of time so, a couple of things that will save you time and money. Work out what you need to work on. If you are getting higher scores in your reading and listening, then you need to work on your speaking and writing. Now, here is a secret, are you ready? You can’t self-study these. You just can’t. So,...
How many times can I do IELTS to get what I need?
This is a question that came from a member of our Facebook group IELTS writing and speaking support and one of the examiners answered it. You can take IELTS as many times as you like until you get the score you need. However, as Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”. Why would you plan to do the exam again and again? Instead of spending 150 US dollars doing...
How many words should you write in Task 1?
This is a good question and we get this one a lot. IELTS deems 150 the minimum number of words that you need to write to be able to fulfil the Task i.e. get Band 9.0. Aim for 150 to 180 words. If you write more than that then you may run out of time for Task 2. Remember, and this is key for IELTS writing, the more you write, the more time you will have to spend checking your writing. ...
What IELTS vocabulary gets me high marks?
Common questions about IELTS we get are about vocabulary and what you need to use to get high marks. Questions like these are common. “What vocabulary do I need to use to get high scores in IELTS writing?” “How many complicated words do I need to use to get high marks in IELTS writing?” This is a common mistake people make in IELTS. They think they need to use really complex vocabulary to get high marks and this is not the case. Why not?...
How do I prepare for the IELTS speaking exam?
This is a common question we get from a lot of IELTS candidates that are preparing for IELTS. An IELTS speaking exam explains what you need to do. You need to focus on what you have to do in the speaking exam and then you will be able to focus on practising. Don’t practice alone though. Get yourself an English teacher so they can work on accuracy with you. So, in part 1, all you have to do is answer the question...
In IELTS Task 2, should I explicitly agree or disagree when I have a “To what extent do you agree?” question?
This is a good question we received from a member of our private Facebook group and an IELTS examiner gives their advice I would recommend that you explicitly agree or disagree in these types of question. The main reason why I say this is because it is easier. High users of English (Band 8/9) are able to partially agree and say why. Lower users of English usually struggle to do this and meet all the points on the criteria. So, let’s imagine...
How can I get Band 7.5 overall in IELTS?
We received this question from a member in our private group on Facebook “IELTS writing and speaking support”; feel free to join. One of the examiners working for us answered this one. The easiest way, it seems, is to get Band 8.0 in reading and listening and 7 in speaking and writing. If you are actively studying (i.e. going to an English school/academy) then you should have a good idea what level you are now. If not, do a practice reading...