How to Get 8 Bands in IELTS
Thousands of people worldwide take the International English Language Testing System or IELTS every year to migrate to a foreign country (majorly English-speaking country) and study or work there. IELTS exam is aimed towards non-native English speakers.
People may think that the exam is easy, seeing the exam pattern. But it is not just one of the competitive exams around, but the score is recognizable by almost all the big universities around the world.
8 band is considered a good IELTS score. Getting 8 bands is not easy, but this measure is achievable by correct guidance and perfect strategy by any student. Let us see how one can get 8 bands in the IELTS exam.
Know the Pattern:
The exam consists of 4 parts :
Listening:
This part consists of 40 different types of questions, and the duration is 30 minutes. It is divided into four parts.
Reading:
It also comprises 40 different questions. The duration of this portion is 60 minutes.
Speaking:
This part has good importance because candidates are checked if they can effectively communicate in the country where they have applied. Its duration is between 11-14 minutes with a face-to-face interview.
Writing:
60 minutes is the duration for this part. Candidates have to write essays for two questions. Other than essays, there are also graphs and charts, which the applicants have to answer in their own words.
The time limit for the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Listening:
Here are a few tips students can keep in mind while applying for a listening test. It will surely help them get 8 band score.
- Listen English Regularly: A student applying for the IELTS exam needs to stay in touch with this language very much. There are multiple sources on the internet. One can follow them regularly.
Listening can be anything from audiobooks to the radio. It also helps one to understand different accents. One can differentiate certain words and recognize how it helps create or make a special effect on certain sentences.
Listening every day eventually will make you get a grasp of the language subconsciously.
- Give it your all: You need to give full concentration on what you are listening to. In the test, the audio will play only once, so you might not want to miss anything. So keep your full mind on what’s playing. Do not miss out on small details. Listen actively.
- Practice: It is the most important part. Repeat the steps, which are written upwards. Repeat those enough times. It helps one to gain confidence. Learn to be consistent. As the time duration is fixed, try to take mock tests according to the clock. Invest your time wisely and “fake it till you make it.”
Reading:
- Keep track of your time: You need to have a proper strategy and approach and answer the questions fast. It would be best if you didn’t waste more than a minute answering a single question.
If you notice a question that you are having trouble answering, leave the question for some time. After you complete your paper, try to answer those questions.
Suppose you do not manage your time wisely. You may end up losing lots of marks.
- Practice Reading regularly: An aspirant has to read something related to English. It can be anything—magazines, newspapers, storybooks. Reading novels of American and British writers is added advantage.
You can follow plenty of online resources. The good thing about the internet is it can provide you a countless number of materials. Follow famous blog writers. Watch success stories. All these will help a candidate in the long run.
- Vocabulary: This is an important thing to keep in mind. Try to increase your vocabulary store as much as you can. I am sure I do not need to explain why this is so much important.
The vocabulary will be different from every topic. So study them accordingly.
Writing:
- What does the question say? Understanding the question and what it is expecting from you is really half done. You need to have a skill for understanding keywords and determining the flow of the question.
Look carefully whether a question is a combination of an opinion or a discussion.
- Time is key: Here, this point again repeats. Time is really the key. You will get 40 minutes for the writing section. It is advisable not to spend more than 35 minutes on your writing. Proofread for the remaining time.
You need to plan your essay, write it and proofread it. Hurrying is not an option. You might make unwanted grammatical mistakes while hurrying. So what can you do? You practice! You practice enough times to get the job done smoothly in the actual exam.
- Take care of the rules: What I mean by this is to care for your spelling and grammar. These mistakes are common and should always be avoided.
- Lexical Resources: Many aspirants are unknown about this thing. Using lexical resources means using a sufficient range of vocabulary. Using this contributes to the final score of the writing test. It is one of the four writing assessment criteria.
The examiner generally looks for a variety of words and proper allocation of them. Using repetitive words can drag you down for sure. Prepare accordingly.
Speaking:
- Positive Mindset: You need to have a positive mindset before any exam. Talk to yourself. Assure yourself that you can do good. You can speak English without any hesitation. It’s okay to be aware of the pressure on exam day. What is not okay is getting this on your head.
- Mock Interviews: Attempt many mock speaking tests from experienced teachers. Practicing is really the only choice because no one can tell what will happen on the test day.
- Express yourself: Remember, here, your knowledge is not at the test. Enjoy your chat with the examiner and confidently answer in English. Simple ideas can be expressed greatly with English and thus can get you a good score.