The Day of the Test - Preparation for the IELTS Test
There are no magic formulas for doing well in the IELTS test. However, these simple Jugge’stions will help you do as well as possible.
Be calm even if you feel depressed or discouraged. As one part of the exam finishes, forget it and go on to the next one.
Do Not Memorise Answers. Firstly, an examiner can tell if you’ve memorised an answer, d you will lose marks. Secondly, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the question you were expecting will appear in the exam. In that case, you will probably do worse than if ou had never memorised anything, because you will have neglected your normal English practice. Again, you will lose marks.
Read the Questions. For the reading, writing and listening sections, you must read the questions carefully. You cannot get marks if you do not answer the questions correctly.
Use your time. Find out how much time you have for each section and divide it sensibly among the questions. If you finish early, check your answers. Use every second of the time you have. Don’t waste time by working too long on one question or by finishing early and j sitting doing nothing.
Reading Subtest
Begin by reading the questions first. This will give you an idea of what to look for when you read the texts.
Do not attempt to understand every word in the reading passages, at least on the initial reading. Read quickly to get a general understanding.
When answering a question, skim the passage until you find the relevant section, then read it in detail. Do not read everything in detail —you haven’t got time.
If you find a question difficult, leave it and come back to it later. Do all the easiest questions first.
Writing Subtest
Read the task questions carefully. Rephrase them to yourself if you are not sure you fully understand them. Constantly refer back to the question to check that you are not digressing from the topic. Briefly plan your answer, especially for Task 2 in the academic modules.
The two writing tasks are of different lengths. You should thus spend about 15 minutes on Question 1 and 30 minutes on Question 2.
The two writing tasks are of different types: Question 1 may be a description of a diagram or a letter etc, Question 2 may be an essay or a report etc. Modify your writing style accordmg to the question.
Do not write your answers in note form, unless the instructions specifically permit you to do so. While notes show the examiner the structure of your text, you will lose marks in the area of cohesion and sentence structure because your ideas are neither elaborated nor joined.
Write as neatly as possible. This makes it easier for the examiner to mark your work, and there is less likelihood of the examiner misunderstand ing what you have said.
Write neatly, but do not waste time by writing a rough draft, then rewriting it. Write one draft only and write on every second line. In this way you will have enough space to change/correct your answer if you need to.
Don’t waste valuable time by using white-out (just cross out anything you want to change), writing the essay title, or writing in capital letters (use cursive writing if it’s at all readable).
If you have spare time at the end, check your work for small errors ryerh agreements, plurals, punctuation. These things are easily corrected and are important in deciding what mark your work will receive.
Listening Subtest
You will hear each listening passage only once. To make the most of it, read the questions through quickly before each section and try to predict what subject the listening text is about. This will increase your ability to understand what you hear.
Look at what kinds of questions you m-ust^answer: true/false, multiple choice, pictures/diagrams, forms to be filled in. This will ffeterrm’ne what kind of listening you do, whether you listen for individual words or for the general meaning.
Look through any pictures and diagrams in the exam before each listening as these will help you choose the correct answers.
Speaking Subtest
Breathe deeply and relax while waiting. Talk to your friends in English while waiting.
Speak as much as you can during the interview, don’t just give one word answers. Unless you speak, the interviewer can’t find out how good you really are. Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat a question if you don’t understand it. You will not lose marks.
At the beginning of section 3 (the role play) the interviewer will give you a card with some information on it. Note carefully the role the interviewer will take: is (s)he your friend? A classmate? an official? Make sure you vary your speech accordingly (because you don’t speak in the same way to a friend as to an official)
Section 3 of the interview is the one where you must take the initiative. Here it is not impolite to ask questions, it’s essential. Your questions should be as natural as possible. Think: What sort of questions would I ask if this situation were real?’
If you have prepared yourself by practising the skills mentioned earlier in this chapter, and if you are familiar with the format of the test, and remember the suggestions written here, then you are ready to do your best in the IELTS test.
