Strategies for IELTS Success

General Strategies for IELTS Success

There are some common key strategies to your success with all four IELTS exams.

practice;
effective time management;
plan your writing;
understand how to paraphrase effectively;
use keywords effectively;
understand the question.

The IELTS exams test the student’s English ability and crucially their problem solving ability. With this in mind, it is important to understand the structure of each exam and then apply practiced techniques to solve various problems.

Practice

To achieve a good grade you must appreciate, Practice, Practice, Practice is the answer. Generally speaking, your ability to successfully pass the IELTS exam is:

60% is practicing the exam technique and understanding the exam format;
40% is your English ability.

Time Management

Time management in the Reading and Writing exam is fundamentally important.

Reading Exam – a time management plan needs to be carefully considered to prevent the common mistake of not having enough time to complete Reading Text 3 of the exam.

Writing Exam – the student should carefully understand Task 1 (150 words) of the Writing exam must be completed in 20 minutes and no more or there is insufficient time to complete Task 2 (250 words).

Plan your Writing

It is important to understand planning your writing is the more efficient method to complete the writing exam. This is simple advice and students should follow it. Spend 2 minutes quickly planning your essay, writing notes on the question paper.

Sample Writing Plan for Task 1

Understand how to Paraphrases Effectively

Your Introduction Sentence for both writing Task 1 & 2 should be a paraphrase of the question. Paraphrase the question correctly. Do not just copy the question and substitute a few words with synonyms. This is so important.

Synonyms are words with the same meaning. Synonyms for the word Intelligent include Smart, Bright, Brilliant & Sharp.

Paraphrases – sentences or clauses with the same meaning using different words:

Original sentence: He has lots of stuff to throw away.
Paraphrased: He needs to get rid of a lot of rubbish.

An example of paraphrasing:

Task Question: Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

A well Paraphrased Introduction: ‘No Mud, No Lotus’ is one of Buddhism’s philosophies. This quote implies that there are always contradictions and each factor is equally essential, no matter whether they are positive or negative. With this view of life, we can perhaps take a difficult situation and turn it into a self-improving lesson.

A poor example of Paraphrasing: Having no money or a job we do not like can make us unhappy. When we are in this situation we need to improve our lives. (wrong keywords and it is not engaging for the reader).

Use keywords effectively

select 1 or a maximum of 2 words only;
why? – you cannot keep more than 1 – 2 words in your mind while you are scan or skim reading and looking for synonyms & paraphrases at the same time;
select words that are easy to search for, such as name nouns.

Understand the Question

Many students are rushing to finish an exam, are under pressure and misread the questions. This is very common. What is the first rule of any exam? Answer – read the exam question. What is the second rule of any exam? Read the question again slowly. The necessity of these two rules needs to be impressed upon the student.

How to pass your IELTS Exams:

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

IELTS Texts & -Practice Exams

IELTS - exam practice

IELTS consists of four examination papers – Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. The test format and descriptions are below and worth studying to fully understand what is involved:

IELTS.org
CambridgeEnglish.org
BritishCouncil.org

Test practice – essential skill building

The IELTS exam is fairly rigid in its format. All four modules have a pattern. Understand how the examiners write tests and develop techniques for quickly answering questions;
Use a stopwatch and test yourself for each section;
Compare your answers with model answers.

Free practice exams

IELTS.org – an excellent range of Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking tests for both the Academic and General Training modules. Available as PDF & MP3 downloads.

TakeIELTS.BritishCouncil.org – this site offers tests and answers.

CambridgeEnglish.org – offers free sample tests down loadable as a zipped file.

Free online IELTS texts and Practice Exams can be seen here.

Additionally practice these discussed strategies for IELTS success.

IELTS Preparation Lessons

for Vietnamese Students

Join our Groups

Terms of Service

Privacy