Tips and Strategies

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Improve Your Listening Skills: Don’t limit yourself to IELTS practice tests if you want to improve your overall listening skills. Listen to something in English every day – you need to hear English spoken naturally in as many different accents and different contexts as possible. When you are happy with your ability to understand more general material, move on to testing your listening skills in an IELTS context.
Make Word Lists: Create your own set of word lists for common IELTS topics (for example, accommodation, travel, facilities on a university campus, etc.). The more vocabulary you have, the easier you will find it to understand the speakers on the audio recordings.
Read the Instructions Carefully: Read the task instructions very carefully as they will explain the criteria you must use to answer each set of questions. It is particularly important to stick to the word and number requirements specified in the instructions. If the instruction specifies one word, you must use only one word. If you are asked to write one word, you must write only one word. If your answer contains two or three words, you will not get a mark for your answer, even if the information you included is correct.

Tackle One Group of Questions at a Time: At the beginning of each section of the audio recording, you will be asked to look at the relevant group of questions (for example, ‘ … now look at questions 6–10’). In the 20–30 second gap that follows, read the questions carefully and underline or highlight the key words – this will help you to understand what you should be listening for (for example, numbers, timings or specific locations). For the paper-based test, draw a line under the last question in the group to remind yourself to only tackle the questions from the upcoming section of the recording.
Try to Work Out the Answer-type from the Question: Briefly analyse each question and note the type of response needed in your answer. In a table completion task, for example, look at the table headings and the information already included in each row and column. If the heading of a column is ‘Popular Destinations’ the answers in that column are going to be the names of places – maybe towns or cities.
Listen for Specific Information: Much of the information included in the audio recordings for the IELTS Listening test is not directly related to any of the questions in the booklet. Use the 20–30 seconds before each main recording begins to decide what information you need to listen for. Do not try to understand every word of the recording, rather focus on listening for the answers to the questions (for example, a name, a date, a telephone number, etc.).
Note Your Answers While Listening: Don’t wait until you have heard the whole recording to note your answers — it is unlikely that you will remember everything you have heard. Get into the habit of noting your answers (both answers you are sure of and possible answers) as you are listening. Remember that you will hear each recording only once, so there is no opportunity to listen again to the answers you may have missed.
Read Ahead: You will be more successful in the IELTS Listening test if you are able to read and listen at the same time. Sometimes two or three answers will come very quickly, one after the other. By reading ahead, you will have a clear idea of what you should be listening for as the recording progresses. If you do miss an answer, move on to the next one to avoid losing track of the questions. Remember that the questions in the IELTS Listening test are designed so that the answers appear in the same order as they are heard in the audio recording.

Check Your Grammar and Spelling: It is essential to ensure that your answers are grammatically correct and that you have used the right spelling. Remember that an answer with a grammar or spelling error will be marked as incorrect. It is particularly important to check your grammar and spelling in gap-fill and sentence completion tasks when you must provide your own answer rather than choose from a number of options.
Identify Distractors: A distractor is when a speaker on the recording states a piece of information and then modifies or corrects it. For example, you may be asked to enter someone’s phone number on a job application form. The speaker on the audio recording might say, ‘My phone number is 9821 234 567… no, wait, sorry it is 76, I mean the last two digits are 76, not 67.’

Read Extensively: Read as much as you can and as often as you can. Get into the habit of reading a variety of text types that cover a range of topics. This could include English newspapers or news websites, novels, magazines and journals, short stories, non-fiction books, information sheets, essays and blogs. Make sure that whatever you read is from a reputable source so that you are not exposed to bad writing that contains errors. Make sure that the type of texts you are reading are of a similar level of difficulty to those that appear in the IELTS Reading test.
Develop Your Vocabulary: The more extensive your vocabulary is, the easier you will find it to do well in the IELTS Reading test. If you have a large vocabulary, you’ll understand more and find it easier to spot synonyms and paraphrasing. When learning new words, you should focus not only on the meaning, but also the register (for example, formal or informal), collocations (the other words that the vocabulary item ‘matches’ with), and when the word can and can’t be used.
Develop Your Reading Skills: Skimming and scanning are two of the most important reading skills required to do well on the IELTS Reading test and can be applied to all task types. Skimming means reading a text quickly to get a general understanding of what it is about. One way of doing this is to read the first and last sentences of each paragraph. Scanning means looking quickly through a text to locate specific pieces of information. The strict time limit in the Reading test means that it is important for you to be able to find information in a reading text quickly and accurately.
Don’t Try to Understand Every Word of the Text: Remember, your task is to locate the answers to the questions—not to read the whole text in detail and try to understand every word. Most of the questions test your ability to locate specific information and then understand the sentence or sentences that contain that information. If you try to read the whole text from start to finish you will run out time.
Identify Important Words: Each question will contain words that will help you to locate the information in the reading text and to spot the correct answer. You should learn how to identify these keywords in the IELTS Reading test questions and use them to find information in the text. You should also learn how to identify synonyms and paraphrasing as these are used extensively in Reading test questions.
Practice Makes Perfect: As you are preparing for the IELTS Reading test, make sure that you familiarize yourself with each task type and that you spend time practicing those task types that you are having the most difficulties with. If you know what is expected of you as soon as you read the instructions, you will save valuable time during the test itself.
Identify and Eliminate Common Errors: After completing a reading practice exercise or practice test, note the type of errors you made when answering the questions. Did you use more than the specified number of words? Was your spelling incorrect? Did you make a grammatical error? Were you confused by a distractor? Record and classify your errors and spend additional time working on eliminating them.
Don’t Make Assumptions: Don’t assume that you know an answer before you have finished reading the text. Your own knowledge of a topic has no relevance here—IELTS is a test of language not subject matter. Use only the information from the reading text to answer the questions.
Understand IELTS Question Types: For most of the IELTS reading question types, the questions appear in the same order as the information is presented in the text. If you have correctly answered questions two and four, you should easily be able to locate the part of the text that contains the answer to question three. Exceptions to this are matching headings, matching features, and matching information questions. For diagram labelling and summary completion questions, answers are normally located in one section of the text.
Don’t Overthink Things: Don’t overthink your answers. If you have found what appears to be the correct answer in the text, then it most likely is the correct answer. Don’t second-guess yourself as this will cost you valuable time.

Task 1

Spend Time Planning: To get a high band score for IELTS General Training Writing Task 1, it is important to spend a few minutes identifying the purpose of the letter and what you should cover for each of the three bullet points. Planning will also help to ensure that you organize your writing in a clear, logical manner. You will be able to write the letter more quickly if you are working from a plan.
Analyse the Question: Questions in IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 always follow the same format. You are asked to write a letter responding to a situation, for example requesting information or making a complaint. At this stage, identify the purpose of the letter, and whether it should be written in a formal, semi-formal or informal style.
Decide What to Include: Your letter must cover each of the three bullet points as fully as possible. You should cover the bullet points in the same order as they appear in the question prompt. Consider what you will say in response to each bullet point, and what additional examples or supporting detail you will include.
Write the Opening: Letters generally begin with an opening statement which describes the purpose of the letter. This will vary depending on whether your letter is formal, semi-formal or informal. For example, a formal letter might begin with the following statement of purpose: ‘I am writing in response to your advertisement on The Guardian website for University College scholarships’. An informal statement of purpose might begin with the following: ‘I’m writing to say ‘thanks’ for inviting me to John’s birthday bash last Friday.’
Write the Main Body: Your letter should be divided into paragraphs. Each short paragraph should cover one of the bullet points. You should also provide some additional detail for each bullet point. You can include a closing statement as a separate line, if appropriate.
Signing Off: Depending on whether you have written a formal, semi-formal, or informal letter, you will need to adapt your closing comments. For a formal letter beginning ’Dear Sir or Madam’, you could close with: ‘I look forward to hearing from you’, and then, ‘Yours Faithfully’. For a semi-formal letter beginning ‘Dear Ms Peters’, you could close with: ‘Please get back to me as soon as possible’, and then, ‘Yours Sincerely’. Note that ‘Yours Faithfully’ is used when you don’t know the recipient’s name, and ‘Yours Sincerely’ when you do know their name. For an informal letter beginning ‘Dear Jill’, you could close with: ‘It’d be great to catch up again soon’, or ‘Give my love to everyone’, and then ‘Much love’, or ‘Take care’.

Task 2

Analyse the Question Prompt: Many test-takers do not get the band score they were aiming for in General Training Writing Task 2 because they fail to answer the question properly. Even if your language skills are good enough to earn you a band score 7 or 8 for the Writing test, if you do not answer the question properly you will fail to achieve this. Not fully answering the question or writing an off-topic essay can bring down your band score in Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, and Lexical Resource, so it is imperative that you spend time analysing the prompt before you begin to write.
Write an Introduction: In order to get a high band score for your essay, it is important to write an introduction. A good introduction will demonstrate to the examiner that you have understood the question. Try to paraphrase the question prompt, clearly state your point of view, and outline the contents of your essay. Spend a few minutes planning your essay before writing the introduction; if you don’t know what you are going to write, you will be unable to introduce it. The introduction should generally consist of two or three sentences (50–60 words) and take no more than five minutes to write.
Write 2 or 3 Main Body Paragraphs: Each of your main body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence which summarizes the main information in the paragraph. Topic sentences often appear as the first sentence in the paragraph. You should follow your topic sentence with an explanation and an example. If you can’t think of an example, add more detail to your explanation. Be aware that you are more likely to get a higher band score if your essay contains a number of good, relevant examples.
Write a Conclusion: Although your conclusion should only be a few sentences long, if you fail to include a conclusion, you will be limited to a band score of 5 for Task Response. A good conclusion will summarize your argument or opinion and bring together the ideas you have presented in the essay. It will also have a positive impact on your Coherence and Cohesion band score. Don’t make the mistake of presenting any new information or ideas in your conclusion. The purpose is to summarize what you have already said.

Speak English Every Day: If you can, find yourself a conversation partner who you can practice speaking English with. If you can’t find a conversation partner you can still practice speaking. Choose a topic and compile a list of words related to that topic, then practice speaking about the topic using words from your word list. You could also record your conversations and practice sessions. When you listen back to them, identify the aspects of your speaking that you would like to work on.
Listen to English Every Day: Listen to as much natural, spoken English as you can. Listen to the BBC World Service on your radio or explore other BBC radio channels on the internet. Find English podcasts that interest you and listen to them on your headphones. Watch English language YouTube channels or TED Talks presentations online. Vary your listening exposure by having an English program playing in the background sometimes while you are completing other tasks, and sometimes listen more intensively by setting aside time and concentrating on what you are listening to. The more exposure you have to English, the easier you will find it to produce.
Train Yourself to Think in English: One of the main reasons that people find it difficult to speak English fluently, is that they try to translate each word into their own language before producing it. If you are able to train yourself to think in English, the fluency and accuracy of your speech will improve markedly, and you will begin to sound more natural and confident. Begin by thinking about the English words for the things that you can see around you, and the words for activities you carry out or observe during your day. Next, try thinking in complete phrases or sentences. By doing this, you brain will be processing a whole range of grammatical structures as well as items of vocabulary.
Practice Answering IELTS-style Questions: Make sure that you get as much practice as possible answering IELTS Speaking test questions, especially in the days leading up to your test. It’s a good idea to make a timetable for this to ensure that you remember to do it. Try to complete a minimum of three full Speaking tests per week. Record yourself and listen back to the recordings. Not only will this help you to identify areas that you need to work on, but, as you hear yourself improving, it will also help to increase your levels of motivation.
Expand Your Vocabulary: Vocabulary accounts for 25% of your overall Speaking band score. Create word lists for common IELTS topics and try to learn 5 to 10 items at a time. Topics that appear regularly in the IELTS Speaking test include art, education, the environment, friends and family, society, health, employment, technology, sport, the media, travel and tourism, and relationships. You can identify more topics by looking at a range of previous year’s IELTS question papers.
Understand the Test Format: Make sure that you fully understand the format of the IELTS Speaking test so that you know what’s going to happen during the interview. By doing this you can help to ensure that there are no surprises during your Speaking test that will prevent you from performing at your best.
Understand What Will Be Assessed: You need to be aware of what the IELTS Speaking examiner is looking for in order to be able to produce the right responses during your interview. Although you may be aware of the assessment you also need to think about how these translate into test performance. The Speaking test requires you to communicate your ideas and opinions about everyday topics and common experiences; speak at length on a given topic; express and justify your idea and opinions; organize your ideas logically and coherently; and speculate about and analyse issues of general interest. Make sure that your Speaking test preparation focuses on these requirements.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Study the assessment criteria and consider which of them you are stronger at and which you are weaker at. You may need to work on certain aspects of all four criteria. Identify the area that needs most improvement and plan your preparation time accordingly. Don’t give equal emphasis to the things you are good at and the things that need more work.
Use Tenses Correctly: Using the wrong tense when answering a question is a common mistake for many test-takers. A large number of grammatical errors can have a serious negative effect on your overall Speaking test band score. Listen carefully to the tense that the examiner uses in the question, and then use the same tense in your answer.
Focus on Pronunciation: Don’t worry about speaking English with an accent. Provided you pronounce English sounds correctly and speak with a natural rhythm, you will not be penalized for having a non-native speaker accent. The most important thing is that the examiner understands you easily throughout the interview. When you learn new words, make sure that you learn and practice the pronunciation as well as the meaning.

Be sure to confirm the time and location of your IELTS test at least a few days in advance. Be aware of how long it will take you to get from your home to the test venue. Your IELTS test venue may be located in a different place to the office where you booked your test. If you arrive late at the test venue, you may not be allowed to take your IELTS test.
Read the Test Takers’ Information section of your IELTS application form carefully. It contains important information about your test day. If there’s something you don’t understand, ask a member staff at the place where you book your IELTS test.
Bring your ID with you to the test venue (valid passport or national identity card). This must be the same ID that you mentioned on your IELTS Application form. If you do not have the correct identification document, you will not be permitted to take the test.
The Listening, Reading, and Writing tests take about 2 hours and 40 minutes in paper-based IELTS and around 2 hours 30 minutes in computer-delivered IELTS. There is no break in between each test. Make sure you are well rested, and that you have eaten a good breakfast to keep your energy levels high during the test.
Wear comfortable clothing – something that makes you feel confident and relaxed. You are not assessed on your appearance at any point during the IELTS test. The test venue may have strong air-conditioning, so take an extra layer of clothing with you in case you feel cold.
You can take a drink into the Listening/Reading/Writing test room provided it is in a transparent bottle. You are not permitted to eat or smoke in the test room.
If you need to take a toilet break during the Listening/Reading/Writing tests, raise your hand and a supervisor will escort you out of the test room. Take your ID document with you as you may need to show it to get back into the test room.
Take a pencil, pen and an eraser with you to the test venue. You are not permitted to take your watch, mobile phone, or any other electronic device into the test room. For the Speaking test, you may only take your ID document into the interview room.
There will be a clearly visible clock in the Listening/Reading/Writing test room. Make sure you know where the clock is and look at it regularly to keep track of time during the paper-based Reading and Writing tests. In computer-delivered IELTS, the amount of time you have remaining is displayed at the top of the screen.
Listen carefully to the test supervisor’s instructions and follow them. If you don’t hear an instruction or if you are unsure, raise your hand and a supervisor will come to assist you.
If you experience any problems during the test (for example, if you feel ill) raise your hand and wait for a supervisor to come to you. Explain your problem to the supervisor.
You must not cheat, copy from other test takers, or disrupt the test. If you are caught doing any of these things, your test result will be withheld, and the institution or professional body you may have nominated to receive your results will be notified.
You must not try to reproduce any part of the test. If you do so, your test result will be withheld, and you may face criminal prosecution.
In the paper-based test, don’t continue writing after the supervisor tells you to stop. If you do so, your test result may be invalidated. In the computer-delivered test, the screen will lock when the time is over.

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