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January 2009

IELTS exam in Czech Republic – December 2008 (Academic Module)

You will find this update different. Unlike the others, it doesn’t talk about the topics and the questions. Instead, it shows how IELTS exam can make you feel which is just as important. This is a story of a frustrated IELTS candidate from Czech Republic who didn’t do very well in his exam.

Listening test

I got only 5.0 in this part. It seemed difficult to me. I tried to remember what was on the tape, but I could not answer all questions. I did not leave any answers blank on the answer sheet because I guessed a lot.

Reading test

Honestly, this part made me crazy. I did not have enough time to think and decide what I should answer on the paper. I got 5.0 in this section. I was sad when I finished this part because I knew that I had a lot of wrong answers.

Writing test

I got 5.5 for this part, I could say I am Ok because 5.5 is the overall result I have to get. However, I did not succeed in the second writing part, which I did not organize well, because I didn’t have the experience in this.

Speaking test

I did not feel confident during this part of the exam. I got a bad topic, it was to describe a country where I had been and what I did there during my traveling time. Actually, I had not been in any place like that, so I told them about an imaginary country.

After the exam, I was upset with my performance and after receiving the result, I was angry too.

10 IELTS tips that helped Leslie get Band 8.0

Leslie is a 22 year old student from Philippines. We “met” when she sent me an email with a couple of IELTS questions, and were keeping in touch even after her IELTS exam. Leslie got a very good score, 8.0 overall and her best skills were Reading and Listening, she got 8.5 in both. Being a kind and caring person, she agreed to share her way of preparation and the reasons for her success with the rest of us. Here goes:

1. Focus more on your areas of weakness. I had some difficulty with reading, which is why I devoted more time to it.

2. I also paid more attention to both the listening and reading skills, because they will be graded objectively. The writing and speaking are both subjectively graded, you may not know what you will get regardless how much you prepare.

3. Time is your greatest enemy. Practice answering the reading passages within the allotted time limit, because 1 hour may not be enough to answer 40 questions.

4. In the writing part, always do task 2 first because it bears more marks than task 1. Also practice finishing essays in less than 1 hour.

5. When doing sample drills, always train yourself to follow instructions.

6. Always build up your stamina, try doing a simulation exam, wherein you have to answer 3 modules (listening, reading, and writing) continuously within 2 hours and 40 minutes.

7. On the night before the test, have a good night’s sleep, for it can help you concentrate on the day of the test.

8. Eat your breakfast in the morning before the test; you might fail to concentrate when you are hungry.

9. The speaking test is the most difficult part for me, so try to do “one on one” with a friend or a mentor. Simulate what happens in sections 1-3 of the speaking test. It helps you build your self-confidence.

10. Lastly, what really helped me a lot in the speaking test was the feedback from other test takers. Gather some information on what came out as their questions, and try to formulate your own answers.