IELTS remarking. When to do it and when not to.
In IELTS, if you don’t think your writing or speaking result is accurate, you can ask for an EOR (Enquiry of Results). Your writing or speaking will then be checked by another examiner (in some cases a senior examiner but not always) to see whether your result is accurate or not. You have to pay for this and the fee differs depending on the country you did the test in. However, if your score is changed (up or down), you...
How do I improve my IELTS writing and speaking?
This is a question that we often get asked and it is an easy one to answer. One of the IELTS examiners at upmyielts explains. First things first, you need to find where you are at the moment. If you need Band 7.0 in speaking and writing, then you need to know what you would get if you did the exam tomorrow. It may be the case that your speaking is already at Band 7+ level but your writing is not. ...
Is IELTS writing a scam?
We see this a lot from people who haven’t got the score they feel they deserve. Now, we need to address this. Why do people think they are being stopped from getting Band 7.0, for example, in writing? Firstly, some people don’t get Band 7 in writing because they are not band 7.0 level. To get to Band 7, the majority of your sentences need to be correct (grammatically and lexically). This is tough for a lot of people. Secondly, people don’t...
How can I prepare for the IELTS exam in 6 months?
One of the IELTS examiners that works with us and gives IELTS classes answers this question. 6 months is a sensible amount of time to prepare. Firstly though, you need to know where you are now so you know how much work you have in front of you. Get an IELTS practice book, and do the reading and listening tests. This will give you a very good idea of what your reading and listening scores are at the moment. You can...
A question from a blog reader “I’ve done IELTS 3 times in the last 3 months and get (nearly) the same score every time (Not high enough). What is going on?”
One of the the IELTS examiners that works with us answered this one. You need to look at IELTS in a different way. IELTS is a level test. This means that is gives you an accurate reading of your writing, speaking, reading and listening. If you do a test like this in June, then again in July, you will find no difference as your level will not change that much in a month. Therefore, your score will be exactly the same. ...
Why am I stuck at band 6 for IELTS writing?
This is a problem for an awful lot of people. The first thing you need to do is work out why you aren’t getting higher marks in your writing. In the 4 criteria, it may be just one of them that is stopping you from getting higher marks. It may be that you aren’t developing your ideas enough with examples (Task Achievement), it may be that you are making referencing mistakes or mistakes with linking words (Coherence & Cohesion) or it...
What is stopping me getting Band 7+ in IELTS writing or speaking? Part 1
We asked one the IELTS examiners that work with us what they saw as the biggest factor that stopped many candidates getting higher scores in IELTS speaking and writing. She said, overwhelmingly, that accuracy was the biggest problem for a lot of people. Here are her comments. Articles, articles articles (a, an, the). They are really difficult for a lot of English learners, especially those that don't have them in their language but they are really important in IELTS writing. If a...
The 3 main reasons that people struggle with IELTS writing and speaking
Many people come to us at upmyielts.com asking why they can't get a higher score in IELTS writing/speaking. These are both production skills and there are many reasons as everyone's case is slightly different. We asked one of the IELTS examiners that works for us what they thought and this is what they had to say. People think that they better than they are at English. I see a lot of students who have studied English for years and years...