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IELTS preparation tips from winners

IELTS high achievers share their secrets

IELTS exam tips from Dr. Hina, Band 8

Today I have a real treat for you. Dr Hina A. Razzak, a winner of our “Best IELTS result competition” in May has shared the reasons why she scored so high. Here is what Dr. Hina says:

“First and foremost, I would like to say that it is an easy exam, if you keep it easy and simple. You don’t have to study much, as this exam is all about how fluent you are and how well you understand English.

For the listening part I used to listen to podcasts from the British Council Learn English websites. There are hundreds of podcasts there. I used to listen daily to 10 – 15 podcasts. It is easy to download them to your iPod or mp3 player, or to just listen on a PC or a laptop. Also CNN and BBC have some useful podcasts and you can listen to them as well. I saw a lot of English movies, too.

For the speaking part as I was in the UK for about 6 months before my exam, I used to speak daily with my family. Also I used to speak on usual topics like my favorite program, my favorite movie, a book, any hobby, any work I like to do, any holidays I spent, these usual topics I used to speak on daily for about 15 to 20 minutes.

For writing, which I considered the most difficult, I used different websites and practiced in writing task 1 to see how many words can I write in 20 minutes, trying to make it 150 or 200, not too lengthy or too short.

For writing task 2 because we don’t know what topic will be given, I used to read different articles on topics such as MEDIA, COMMUNICATION, TELEVISION, FILMS, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, CHILDREN AND FAMILY. It’s good to get a whole list of topics that appeared in previous exams and read articles or essays on those topics, and then it is easy to write 250 words – because you will have enough knowledge by then.

For reading again I used the British Council Learn English reading modules step by step guide, and also practiced Cambridge IELTS 1 to 6 series books. I read newspapers and Readers Digest whenever I had time.

I did all this in 15 days only and I have passed with Band 8 🙂

And last but not the least – IELTS-BLOG.com website really helped me throughout that period.

ALL THE BEST TO EVERYONE!”

IELTS Preparation tips from Uli, Band 8 in General Training (part 2)

Yesterday I posted the first part of IELTS preparation tips from Uli Rantch, who achieved Band 8 in General Training IELTS. Here is the rest of his helpful suggestions:

“The writing section again was one of the “practicing, practicing, practicing” sections. Firstly, it is very important to be familiar with the layout of a letter and an essay. This might bring you some important extra points in case your rhetoric skills are not the best (like mine).

Secondly, you have to practice the timing. This was the hardest part to me. Sixty minutes can be very few to brainstorm, draw a mind map and write two documents by hand. I haven’t been writing by hand for ages, so I first had to get used to write clear and fast again. Write using variety of structures – some short sentences, some more complex ones, varying vocabulary and tenses. Generally, you have to work in a very concentrated way without a lot of hesitation, and don’t forget to check your spelling and grammar at the end. Every slip of the pen is a lost point.

The speaking section had been the trickiest part for me since I don’t have any native speakers to practice with. I worked through my training CDs and searched the internet for some example videos of other test-takers being interviewed. That way I knew how this section was structured and how/what I was supposed to answer.

Prepare some vocabulary or word-chains for the most common topics like hobbies, family, hometown, famous persons, events and so on but don’t try to memorize complete answers. The examiners are trained to notice this. Having some word-chains in mind makes you flexible in your answers since the question for one topic tend to vary. Practice your answers and speak them out loud and clearly. Don’t feel ashamed, this is the only way to practice it if you’re alone.

The day before the test I completely concentrated on the Recent IELTS exams section here in IELTS-Blog.com . I created some mind maps for the writing tasks and answered the speaking questions the other test takers remembered. Generally, this page is great to prepare for the test.

Get yourself some training material and work through it. Don’t ignore the parts that hurt. Practice them over and over again until you feel confident. Stick to the many tips posted on here and you’ll get the score you need.”