IELTS Test Results competition

Meybel Martirez is our first place winner in the IELTS results competition in November 2011. She comes from the Philippines and her first language is Tagalog. When we asked Meybel to share her methods that resulted in such success, here’s what she told us:

“Thank you for the recognition as 1st placer in your November 2011 IELTS results competition. I really appreciate the certificate you have given me.

I would be glad to share some tips, general pointers and simple learning techniques in my own I.E.L.T.S mnemonic. I hope this would be of help to future test takers.

I – Identify the key areas in the exam

I mainly focused on knowing the nature and format of the test. Items such as:

the 4 categories (Speaking, Reading, Writing and Speaking)

sequence of the tests

number of sections per category

time allotted for each section

type of test if multiple choice, fill in the blanks, etc

if extra time is given to transfer to the answer sheet, and

the instructions per category (very important)

E – Enrich and enhance your knowledge

Our innate and refined English knowledge is not enough to achieve the result we want. What we need most is to make use of our knowledge carefully and effectively, and strive to learn more. Read as widely as possible, study new proverbs or vocabulary or review our old English notes. For example, the use of correct grammar, if singular or plural is crucial in all categories. Careless mistakes cost many marks.

L – Learn the tips, techniques used and even the common mistakes shared by the past takers.

I am a first-time taker of IELTS and humbly speaking, I just focused studying less than a week prior to my test schedule as it was rushed. My advantage is that I can write and speak English fluently and so I am grateful I got 8.0 for Writing and 8.5 for Speaking. However, had I not known the instructions and what to expect from the test, for sure I would have not gotten this result. IELTS-Blog.com has helped me big time in my preparation. The test samples, tips for success, written stories and other information shared by those who have attested the aid given by this site was of utmost help to me. I suggest you read through the site and find out which items you can keep in mind and can work best for you.

T – Train yourself to practice the test samples as if it is already the real exam.

Read instructions carefully, answer the sample test materials, time yourself and stick to it. Leave questions that you can’t answer, go back later if you have time and make a good guess if needed. No CHEATING. The objective is to test your capacity and have a feel of the actual pacing. Then check your answers and learn from your mistakes. This is what I did mostly during my review.

S – Set your goal and aim as high as possible.

My initial goal was a score of 7 given the short amount of review time I got. However, by familiarizing the type of test, the expectations and the right approach for each category, we can positively get a higher score if we want to. Practice, review, learn, be prepared and challenge the test.

Hope this helps. Thank you again Simone and team for creating IELTS-Blog.com which significantly aids a lot of IELTS takers like me.”

I am sure you remember Andrei Florea, who took the first place in our IELTS results competition last month. When we asked Andrei what would he suggest to other test takers who want to maximize their IELTS score, he said:

“I am most grateful for having been awarded the 1st prize in this month’s competition. Regarding my advice for those who will soon sit the IELTS exam, here is the most important thing that everybody must have in mind: if you go there, be confident.

In your Listening exam you may find yourself in the situation of having missed an answer. Don’t worry, it also happened to me. Just do not concentrate too much on the ones you miss, because these may distract you and make you less attentive to the tape. Of equal importance is not waiting for the answers, but being proactive and anticipating when an answer will come on the tape.

In your Speaking test, be yourself. It is okay to have a strong desire to use a vast array of lexical structures so as to make a good impression, but do not focus your entire attention to these. You may end up not achieving the task completely. Also, do not hesitate to state something for fear of it being wrong. There is no such thing as right or wrong opinion, as long as you stick to the topic.

Regarding the Reading part of the test, I have seen many different approaches to this. Personally, I first read the question, then rapidly skim through the whole text, more like looking for the answer than reading the text. Pay attention more to the context than to the content, as it may help you discover the answer. For me, paying attention to every detail doesn’t help, as it makes me less aware of the rapidly passing time.

Finally, in the Writing test you should be constantly asking yourself how do any ideas that you write connect to the topic and help achieving a task. It is preferable to stick to only a few ideas and be consequent to those, that just going from an idea to another in a rather disorganized way.

In conclusion, be relaxed, but stay focused at all times.”

Many thanks to Andrei for sharing these tips, and good luck to everyone!