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This is a question most students ask when they are planning to start preparation for the IELTS. And sadly it is not often that they get a satisfying answer to the question because the answer is normally baseless and more intended to keep the spirits up. So it is invariably- “Of course! The IELTS is a really easy exam. Getting a 6.5 isn’t difficult!”

That is so encouraging and at the same time so misleading. Of course getting a 6.5 is not impossible. In fact there are students who are able to scale the test and get scores as amazing as 8.0 and 8.5. But each test taker is different and can manage only what is his optimum efficiency in terms of a score. Do not be misled by the statistics and score records of others. Draw up an independent preparation schedule and work slowly towards achieving what is your best.
The most important aspect of the IELTS test preparation plan is to understand the test pattern and know which version, the General Test or the Academic Test, is needed. Clearly the levels and styles of the two test versions are very different for the Reading and Writing sections and need to be well addressed in order to ensure a good score. Besides, the two versions serve different purposes for judging language proficiency. Individuals applying for immigration always need the General Test score while those applying for academic programs need to prove themselves on the Academic Test.
The Listening section of the IELTS is fairly easy. Tracks run in parts and questions are asked in clusters of 3 to 5 based on the sequence in which the information is narrated. The portion of the track played is short and it might not really be necessary to jot down points while listening. In fact, jotting down points diverts attention from the track. The better strategy is to practice retaining the information narrated. A sharp memory is an asset and can better the listening section score. The one catch in the Listening section is the answer stipulations. If the question asks ‘what time will the bus leave the college?’ and the candidate writes 7….no A.M or P.M……..the answer will be deemed wrong. Similarly the right answer may still not be awarded marks if it is spelt wrong. And if the answer is to be given in no more than two words, so it must be. An extra ‘an’ or ‘the’ may sound better but if it makes the answer exceed the word limit, so avoid it.
The Speaking section of the IELTS test involves being interviewed by an examiner face to face. This is unlike how the Speaking section of the TOEFL is conducted and so again a word of caution- practice this section with someone and try to simulate the real test as far as possible in terms of time, resources and content. There are lists of questions and topics important to the test available online. Gather these and then get down to practicing the topics you may not be at ease answering impromptu. Every test taker has a comfort zone as far topics go. Some are at ease talking about their careers but not about the most interesting book they have read and others can tackle questions on culture and art well but not on politics. There is a compilation of the most frequently featured topics for the Speaking section and it is wise to take a look at this to avoid getting into a tight spot with the examiner! Also, practice to be natural. Do not put on an accent; do not cram up answers and rattle them off to the point of sounding irrelevant; and listen to the question carefully before framing an answer. If the examiner asks ‘Do you prefer to study alone or in a group?’ the answer should be limited to just stating your preference. Only if asked ‘Why?’ should you detail your reasons for this preference. As on other testing platforms, test takers suffer from the misconception that the more one speaks (or writes) the higher one is likely to score. No. Scores are never proportionate to the quantity of the answer. Be relevant, clear and creative. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

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1. Study vocabulary

English learners are taught to put words into the proper context as much as possible. You can learn to do this by reading frequently. The more words you are exposed to, the better your vocabulary will be. As you read, pay close attention to words you do not know and underline or highlight them with a marker.   You should try to figure out their meanings from the supporting context. After this, look the words up in the dictionary. Read and listen to challenging materials like the English language news so that you will be exposed to many new words. Once you have learned the new word, practice using it.
Using new words frequently will help you to learn to speak English fluently. Research shows that it takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to make a word part of your daily speech.
Checklist
✓ Record expressions that can be used in a variety of academic contexts.
✓ Record phrases (rather than individual words)
✓ Use a good monolingual dictionary to check proper word arrangement
✓ Avoid spending too much learning highly specialized words
✓ Record useful expressions related to these topics
✓ Practice talking and writing about them in English
✓ Use newspapers, magazines and news websites to learn more
2.Read, read and read
You need to have a credible English-English dictionary and work out the meanings of new words, making sure that you do not translate back to your language.
Checklist
✓ Skim and scan to form a general picture of a text quickly
✓ Make sure you know exactly what’s required for each task
✓ Check all instructions carefully
✓ Use the work for further clues about the content and organization of the text
✓ Remember the key vocabulary may be explained for you in the text
✓ Don’t use a dictionary until you&rsq

How to Speak English Well: 10 Simple Tips to Extraordinary Fluency ?? IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Accept That English Is a Weird Language
   Sometimes you can find patterns in English grammar, but other times English doesn’t make sense at all. For example, why are “read” (reed) and “read” (red) the same word, but pronounced differently depending on whether you’re speaking in the past or present tense? Or why is “mice” the plural of “mouse”, but “houses” is the plural of “house”?
   Unfortunately, there are just as many exceptions as there are rules in English. It’s easy to get stuck on learning how to speak English properly, if you try to find a reason for everything.  Sometimes English is weird and unexplainable, so instead the best thing to do is just memorize the strange exceptions and move on. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
2. Dive into the Deep End
   Studying English for an hour once a week isn’t usually enough to make any real progress. The best way to quickly improve your English is to spend at least a few minutes practicing every day. Immerse yourself as much as possible every time you study, and challenge yourself to listen to, read, and even say things in English that you think might be too difficult for you. If you want to speak English fluently, you need to make it an essential part of your everyday life. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
3. Stop Being a Student
   The right attitude can make the difference between failure and success. Stop thinking of yourself as someone who is learning English, and start thinking of yourself as someone who speaks English. It’s a small change, but it will make you feel more confident and help you to use the English you already know more effectively.
   This also means you need to start thinking in English. If you want to say the word “apple” in English, for example, right now you probably think of the word in your native language first, and then try to think of the correct word in English. Instead, try imagining a picture of an apple, and then just think the English word “apple”. Real fluency happens when you stop mentally translating conversations. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
4. Remember the Answer Is in the Question
   Listen carefully when someone asks you a question in English and you’ll answer perfectly every time. English questions are like mirrors:
              Does he…..?                       Yes, he does.
              Can she….?                         Yes, she can.
              Is it….?                                  Yes, it is.
   If someone asks you a question and you’re not sure how to answer, start by thinking about the words used in the question.  The person has already said most of the words you need to make your answer. Instead of just memorizing English grammar, start to look for patterns like this one. There are a lot of simple ways to “cheat” and make it easier to remember the right words. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
5. Use It or Lose It
   There’s an expression in English: “Use it or lose it,” which basically means if you don’t practice an ability, you might forget it. This idea can be used to help you remember new English vocabulary. The best way to remember a new word is to use it right away so it will stay in your memory.  When you learn a new word, try to say it in sentences a few times over the next week and you’ll never forget it. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
6. Learn and Study Phrases
   Speaking English fluently means being able to express your thoughts, feelings and ideas. Your goal is to speak English in full sentences, so why not learn it in full sentences? You’ll find that English is more useful in your everyday life if you study whole phrases, rather than just vocabulary and verbs. Start by thinking about phrases that you use frequently in your native language, and then learn how to say them in English. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
7. Don’t Study Grammar Too Much
   The key to learning a language is finding a balance between studying and practicing. Speaking English fluently isn’t the same as knowing perfect English grammar – even native English-speakers make grammar mistakes! Fluency is about being able to communicate. That’s why sometimes it’s important to put the grammar textbook away, so you can go out and practice those writing, reading, listening and speaking skills in the real world. IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
8. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
   Sometimes it can be difficult to put all those rules and words together into a simple sentence. Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stop you from speaking at all. Even if you think you’re making a mistake, keep speaking anyway. Most of the time, people will understand what you’re trying to say, even if you make a mistake. Plus, the more you speak, the easier it gets, and the more quickly the right words will come to mind. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India
9. Learn from Everyone
   You don’t have to only learn English from textbooks and teachers – anyone who speaks English can help you practice. Imagine how you would feel if someone asked you, in your native language, how to pronounce something? Would you be angry? No! You’d probably be happy to help, just like most English-speakers are happy to help you. If you know any English-speakers, whether it’s a friend or co-worker, take advantage of the opportunity to practice and learn from them IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

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IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Don’t expect to understand every word

Many of my students have been taught to look up every word in a dictionary they don’t understand in a dictionary. The theory behind this is good, a wide vocabulary is key to getting a good score in the IELTS test, but worrying about all the words you don’t understand in the reading exam is one of the worst things you can do.

If you don’t understand a word in the reading test there are two things you can do. You can look at the words and sentences around it for clues as to its meaning or you can move on and forget about it. You don’t have to understand the meaning of every word. Even native speakers- and many IELTS teachers- would not be able to understand all the words in the reading test.

Candidates who worry about the meaning of every word, panic and spend too much time thinking about words that might not be related to the question. Focus on the words that are related to the question and don’t worry about the words you don’t understand. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Practice your reading skills NOT your IELTS skills

It is important to familiarise yourself with the IELTS reading test, IELTS reading tips and gain an understanding of the various questions. It is also important to learn from your mistakes (see below). However, students who just practice IELTS exams are missing out on a good opportunity to improve their general reading skills.

IELTS reading texts can be a little boring and you are more likely to read regularly if you read about something you are interested in. Reading for pleasure a little every day will not only improve your English skills but also improve your vocabulary. There are thousands of blogs, newspapers, magazines, and newspapers to choose from online. Practice makes perfect. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Read the instructions VERY carefully

ielts-reading-tips-carefully IELTS Reading TipsSave

So many easy marks are lost by good IELTS candidates because they fail to read the instructions properly. This is especially true in the reading and listening tests because they give very specific instructions. If you don’t follow these instructions exactly, you will get the question wrong.

For example, the instructions might state ‘write two words and/or a number’. This could mean:

One word
One word and a number
Two words
Two words and a number

Even if a number is written as a word it counts as a number e.g. Thirty two is counted as 32. ‘Thirty two cars’ is one word and a number. If you don’t do this, as stated in the instructions, you will lose a mark.

If the answer asks for two words only and the answer is red and yellow, you should write ‘red, yellow’, not ‘red and yellow’. Red, yellow is two words. Red and yellow is three and therefore incorrect.

Finally, one word only means just one word. We should, therefore, be very careful with articles like ‘a’ and ‘an’. For example, the text might say ‘an earthquake’, but if it asks for one word simply write ‘earthquake’. ‘An earthquake’ is two words and is therefore wrong. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Don’t panic

Some of the questions will be easy and some will be extremely difficult. The key is not to panic when trying to answer a difficult one. Nearly all of the IELTS teachers I know have to check the answers to some questions because they are so difficult.

The wrong thing to do is spend a large amount of time on a question and fail to spend enough time on the rest of the questions. If the answer does not present itself, move on to the next. You can always come back to the difficult questions later and answering the other questions will often help you.

Time and nerves need to be controlled in order to do well in the reading test all the IELTS reading tips in the world won’t help you if you can’t control your nerves. You are probably not going to get all of the questions correct and accepting this will help you to control your time and emotions on test day. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. It’s really a vocabulary test

In many ways, the reading test is more of a vocabulary test than a reading test. They will use synonyms and paraphrase sentences to test how wide your vocabulary is. To prepare for this I advise my students to do three things: read, note, and review.

As mentioned in tip number 2, reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary. Memorising lists of words is not as effective as seeing words in context. When you see a new word you don’t understand, try to guess the meaning from context. This means that you try to guess the meaning based on the words and sentences around it. You will be expected to do this in the exam so it is a good idea to get practicing now. Only when you have done that should you check the meaning.

Next, you should put all of your new words in a special IELTS vocabulary notebook. Record not only the meaning but also things like synonyms, antonyms, collocations, form, examples, pronunciation and pictures. You don’t have to record all of these things; just the ones that work for you. All our brains work differently so find out what helps you remember vocabulary and use it.

Finally, there is no point in recording all this new vocabulary if you don’t review it. After putting all the effort into looking up the meaning and record everything in a notebook, it would be a waste of time if you don’t look at it regularly again. I advise students to look at new vocabulary one week after first studying, then two weeks later and finally a month later. Test yourself by covering up the meanings or try to think of a sentence.

By following these steps you will soon have a notebook full of words that you will remember and be able to use effectively in all sections of the IELTS test. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Timing is crucial

ielts-reading-timing IELTS Reading Tips

If you spend too much time on one question you will leave less time for the other questions, however, if you try to do the test too quickly you will miss information and may get confused.

I advise my students to try and get each section finished in 20 minutes. This breaks down to 16-17 minutes to read and answer the questions and 3-4 minutes transferring and checking your answers.

Some teachers advise students to spend a set or fixed amount of time on each question but this is bad advice for one main reason- some questions are more difficult than others and will, therefore, take you more time. What you should do is pay attention to your timing when practicing. You will notice which questions take you longer and which questions take you less time. This will give you the confidence to spend a little longer on certain questions and stop panicking in the exam.

Everyone reads and answers questions at different speeds and styles, so work out what is best for you and be wary of people who tell you to spend a set amount of time on each question.

You can also check out my post on speed reading to help you increase your reading speed. After reading it, you can time yourself on this article about IELTS reading tips. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Ignore anything you already know about the topic

The higher the level the more this problem affects people. Please remember that you are being tested on your understanding of the text only; your own knowledge of the topic should not influence your answers.

I had one student who I thought was going to get an 8 or 9 in their reading test. All of their practice tests had been at this level and I wasn’t worried about them at all. Unfortunately, this person had a degree in biotechnology and the reading was on this subject. Instead of carefully reading the text they used their own knowledge to answer many of the questions. They were very angry when the results came back and it was only after talking about the test that we established what had happened.

Make sure you don’t make the same mistake and base your answers on the text only. Don’t make assumptions based on your own knowledge.

For example, when you read the title of this article ‘IELTS reading tips’, you probably made lots of assumptions about what was in it and you probably knew some tips already, but I’m sure there have been some that have surprised you or even contradicted your views. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Practice slow and fast

Many teachers advise students to practice for the IELTS reading test ‘under exam conditions’. This means you do the practice test in one hour without any help, just like in the exam. This is poor advice for a few reasons.

By doing the test under exam conditions you put too much pressure on yourself and you don’t give yourself time to reflect on how to answer specific question types, spot patterns in questions and how you answer them, note down common vocabulary and notice how much time you spend answering certain questions.

It also does not give you a chance to analyse your mistakes. You should really focus on your mistakes and figure out why you were wrong and then improve. This is a slow process and should be prioritised.

Once you have practiced several tests slowly, you can then practice them under exams conditions. – IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Be careful when transferring your answers

In the test, you will be asked to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. A common mistake is to spend too much time on reading and answering questions and leaving very little time to transfer the answers. It is only natural that silly mistakes are made when people are under pressure.

I advise my students to practice with an IELTS answer sheet and see how much time it takes them to transfer their answers. This will allow you to familiarise yourself with the process and have confidence on test day. IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

1. Leave no blanks

This might seem one of the most obvious IELTS reading tips but you would be surprised how many people leave blanks. Even if you don’t know the answer, make sure you attempt every question. You might get lucky and you have nothing to lose. –IELTS Kottayam Kerala India

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