How to Prepare For IELTS At Home
IELTS is an international exam that tests a candidate’s English proficiency and is recognizable around the world. Universities in UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia accepts IELTS score. Usually, people take IELTS for either higher studies or work.
After graduation students who want to go to foreign countries for higher studies, IELTS is a golden opportunity. Some students have their dream university in mind. Getting a good score in IELTS ensures their admission to their wanted university.
There are four parts to this exam. All with a specific time limit. All the sections are aimed at testing one’s command of English. Students who are preparing for this exam at home need to be cautious and informed while preparing.
Do You Really Need Coaching?
Students often wonder this before taking any competitive exam. “Do I really need coaching?” The answer can vary. But as we are talking here for a specific exam, the answer would be – “not necessarily.”
What I mean by this is, yes, you can take help from a tutor while preparing. But students also can crack this exam if they decide to crack IELTS without a tutor.
Know the Examination
This is the same for every exam. Till now, I think all of you have known that the IELTS exam is one competitive exam. The numbers of the applicant are also huge. Knowing the syllabus and pattern thus keeps an applicant a bit ahead in the race.
There are four sections- Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking. Each one of this with own importance. The time limit is also different for each. Students who are preparing at home need to give extra attention while preparing each section.
Below are some tips for four distinct sections.
Listening: Experts say this is the most-easiest among all the other sections. The duration of this part is 30 minutes. You have to answer 40 questions. All you have to do is to listen to four recordings.
The problematic thing about this is one has to listen and write at the same time. So fear of missing out arises. Then how do you do it?
- You need to focus and concentrate with all your mind while attending. If you have mastery over this, this section really can be a lot easier for you. Focus and listen to every detail.
- Practicing is really the key here. You have to practice enough times to feel confident about it. Take help from your family member if needed, keeping track of your progress.
- There are different accents of English. Get your grasp on them. You never know what will be on your plate on D-day.
- The most important thing about acing the listening test is, you have to develop a knack for listening to the English language. There are plenty of sources like podcasts, interviews, news channels, films, music videos, etc. The more you become familiar with English, the more your confidence will boost up.
Reading: There are three sections here. The duration of time is 60 minutes. One has to answer 40 questions.
- This section is all about time management. In this section, you need to read and understand and form a pattern of sentence sequence in your head all at the same time. And based on that, your questions are answered.
- It is noticed that the third section is relatively tougher than the first and second sections. So while preparation, you have to prepare yourself for solving the first two sections fast enough.
- You have to have a good storage of words. Yes. We are talking about vocabulary here. There can be many unknown words at the real exam. You are expected to know the meaning of those words to proceed quickly.
- Read everything related to English. Magazines and Newspapers are primary sources. Follow some good websites online. Make a habit of reading. Try to read and make something out of it within a time limit.
Writing: This is the section where many of the aspirants struggle. And it is obvious why they struggle. Preparing strategically and correctly is the main thing to get a good score in this section. Students who are preparing at home are often confused about it. Let us see how it can be done.
- Repetition is not advisable at any cost. You must not repeat any words. The examiner wants to see different words used appropriately. Using synonyms is better.
- During your preparation, be proficient with grammar and spellings. Writing something great, yet making grammatical mistakes can take away marks. This is painful. Become sure of it by practice.
- Plan the section well. There are two sections mainly. One is understanding a diagram or a graph or chart and writing about it, and the other is writing an essay on a given topic. So considering your strong zone, plan the two parts well.
- Covert your article in paragraphs.
- Practice writing daily. Following the pattern, attempt mock tests often. There are many online mock plans where you can attempt mock. Some websites also show a detailed report of your mock test.
- You will not get all the time you want. The time is limited, and so should your writing be- precise and to the point.
Speaking: Non-native English speakers usually get tensed about this section. It is obvious. Suppose someone says you to sit in front of a stranger and answer your personal and some other sorts of questions creatively and smoothly. It is believable why people get tensed and mess up. What is the way, then? Here are some tips-
- Practice at home, in front of friends, teacher. Ask for feedback. Take note of the areas where you have to work. You can also contact a communication professional if you think necessary.
- Be confident and start and end your sentences in a way that at least makes sense.
- You don’t have to use super unique words. This is a misconception. Practice talking in front of people at home in simple sentences.
- Do not mispronounce any words.