How To Prepare For IELTS | IELTS Preparation

Image Credits: British Council

Listening: 9.0, Reading: 8.5, Writing: 7, Speaking: 7.5, Overall Band: 8.0. This was my result when I appeared for the IELTS Academic Test in September, 2018.

Before diving into the preparation strategy and relevant tips & suggestions, let me make a point clear: IELTS isn't a test where overnight study would guarantee you awesome band score. The pivotal point in acing this exam is your existing command over English, both written and spoken. For someone who has been using the language as a medium of communication for a really long time (say, right from the time they started at school), IELTS won't be a major hassle to deal with. On the other hand, if your usage of English is infrequent, intermittent, or really casual, you'll find IELTS to be challenging--I won't sugarcoat my words.

The content in this post is useful irrespective of you appearing for the Academic or the General version of IELTS. If you have doubts on which version of the test meets your requirements, I suggest you to go through this link.

A buddy of mine and an IELTS test taker himself (Listening: 9; Reading: 8.5; Writing: 7; Speaking: 8; Overall: 8/9)—Yash Singh—was kind enough to do a guest post on his preparation experience. I strongly recommend you to read his post.

IELTS Listening Module:

• Same for both the Academic and General versions of the test.
• Takes about 30 minutes to complete.
• Answer the questions while the recording is being played because the audio is played only once. If you plan to answer the questions after the audio is over, trust me, you'll get most of the questions—if not all—wrong. Thus, listen, read and write at the same time!
• The answers are sequentially mentioned in the recording, following the same order in which the questions appear. So you can rest assured that the answer to the first question won't appear at the end of the audio recording!
• Hyphenated words such as high-rise, tall-ended, etc. are treated as one word.
• Pay attention to the question. "Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer" implies it has to be a single word answer. This is to ensure you don't write a two word answer to the question when it's clearly stated that the accepted solution is a single word.
  I've seen test takers write a single word answer when the question clearly stated "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER."
• If the answer is a number, I say you write the word equivalent of that number instead of the digit. For example, if the answer is 3, write 'three' (single quote excluded) instead of '3'. I come across people who mean to write '5' but to others, it looks like 'S'.
• There's no negative marking! In case you missed out on a certain section of the recording and there's a question based out of the missed part, take a guess. Don't leave the question blank.
• Don't waste time if you don't know the answer to a question. The audio recording doesn't wait for you.
• If you write a singular noun for a question that had a plural noun as the answer, it's counted as wrong. So, if the answer is pencil and you write pencil, that's a careless mistake.
• Both American and British English spellings are accepted but stick with one format.
• When it comes to 'Label the plan below' section where you're given the map of some place/location and are required to choose the correct letter for the location, make a rough diagram of the place (on your rough work booklet) as and when it gets described in the recording.
  This would serve as a reference diagram when you fill the actual response sheet.
• Easy to understand handwriting.
• Lastly, grammar and spellings are important. Nothing pains more than losing marks for silly mistakes, that too when you know the right answer!

IELTS Reading Module:

• Some differences in terms of the format and content between the Academic and General versions of the test.
• Takes about an hour to complete.
• Recommended time is to spend maximum of 20 minutes in each of the three sections (total of 40 questions) that appear in this module.
• While it's not practically possible to maintain a mental timer when solving questions, practice enough so that  you don't spend more than 1.5 minutes on each question.
• Hyphenated word, correct grammar and spellings, consistency in usage of American and British English spellings, singular-plural words care, etc. to be considered here as well.
• Learn how to skim through the passage instead of reading it word by word. This comes with practice and patience, but it's a skill that's going to benefit you for life.When it comes to short-answer questions that require facts or concise details as the solution, skimming is the solution.
• For "Which paragraph contains the following information?" question type, I'd say read the question and then quickly skim through the passage. This means, if there are six questions where you need to identify the paragraph, then six quick readings. Moreover, once a paragraph has already been chosen as the answer for some question, you can skip that one in your next iteration of quick reading. So you will have lesser number of paragraphs to go through after every question that you answer.
• For "Complete the summary below" question type, pay attention to how many words are permitted in the answer; for example, "NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS." 
• For "Match each sentence with the correct ending..." question type, again, read the question and then skim through the passage to identify the paragraph.
• "TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN"...These questions are hard, no kidding. It requires real analytical ability. Do as many questions of this format as possible during mock tests! No other alternative. But some tidbits that I've realized over the last year or so—and, while assisting my buddies in their preparation—are:
• Do not assume anything. This is often the reason behind marking the statement as 'FALSE' while it should have been 'NOT GIVEN'.
• It's really easy to identify which statements are 'TRUE'. However, they could be paraphrased.
• There will be a statement (in most cases) that would you leave you confused between 'FALSE' and 'NOT GIVEN'. In that situation, consider the statement as 'FALSE' initially, and see if it contradicts the sentence you have identified in the passage. If it doesn't, then the answer is 'NOT GIVEN'.'
• Have an understanding of basic idioms and phrases; a statement that says "X is at a short distance from Y" would be mentioned in the passage as "X is at a stone's throw from Y".
• Personally, for "TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN' questions, I suggest you develop your own approach through extensive practice. Only point is not to make assumptions!
• For "CHOOSE THE MOST APPROPRIATE TITLE..." question type, read the passage casually and quickly, and then select the option. Try not to look at the options before skimming through the passage.
• Attempt all questions since no negative marking is there.
• Read the instructions given in the question carefully.

IELTS Writing Module:

• Takes an hour to complete.
• Two tasks (questions) are given. In Academic version of the test, the first question is a report, and the second one is an essay. Whereas in the General version, the first question is a letter, and the second question is an essay.
• Try not exceed the word limit for the given task. Around 50 words above the word limit is fine.
• Don't copy and paste a statement from the question as it is. At the same time, don't paraphrase the question to use it in your response (answer). I've seen  test takers copy the question as it is in the name of writing the introductory paragraph of their response.
• Refer to the responses mentioned in 'IELTS Essential Guide' (i.e. the book you get when registering for the test) and other official resources to get answers for queries like "how many words to write?", "how many paragraphs should I divide my answer into?", and "what is the structure of the paragraphs?".
• Illegible handwriting is a strict no. Also, don't spoil the answer sheet by erasing your response again and again.  First impression plays a big role in writing tasks.
• Spend more time on task 2 than task 1 (applicable for both Academics and General).
• You have to write at least 150 words for task 1 and at least 250 words for task 2. At the same time, you should have an idea of how 150 words and 250 words look in your handwriting. It would be foolish of you to waste time counting the words while writing the test.
• Don't use casual/informal language, avoid incomplete sentences and derogatory words, and stay away from abbreviations. Avoid answers in bullet points.
• Don't deviate from the subject, and don't make your response dramatic or emotional.
• I've said this one and saying it again—take cues from writing task responses officially available both online and offline. They are your best teacher.
• Don't memorize sample answers you come across. You have to use your creativity and logic for the writing tasks.
• Since you cannot gauge your own writing task responses (unlike reading or listening module where you know what the right answer is), you can cut some slack in terms of the number of questions you practice for the writing module. It's more about understanding the pattern that equates a good writing task solution.

IELTS Speaking Module:

• Lasts for around 15 minutes.
• First part is an introduction of 30 sections, followed by the second segment on a five minute session on 2 or 3 unrelated, short, simple, conversations about your experiences or preferences. The third segment of around five minutes involves you talking on a given topic based on your personal experience. You'll get one minute to prepare on the topic, then talk on the topic for maybe two minutes, followed by one or two follow-up questions. The fourth segment is further discussion on this topic and lasts around five minutes.
• Talk as much as possible, in a fluent manner, and without any nervousness.
• Stay relaxed, don't talk too quick, give necessary pauses in between sentences, and maintain eye contact with the examiner.
• Be expressive; the examiner should see that you have opinions and don't hesitate in expressing them.
• Mock tests ought to give you an idea of the kind of questions asked in the Speaking module. However, don't be under the expectation that you'll get the same questions. And please, don't memorize the mock test answers; you don't want to sound like a robot to the examiner!
• Have mock sessions with people who are fluent in English and can hold conversations easily. They'll be able to point out flaws that may creep in when you appear for the actual test.
• Think of the examiner as a buddy who's trying to have a casual conversation with you!

I've created a folder on Google Drive with resources to help test takers appearing for IELTS. The link is https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fUlXsc5xQq9_e-9PDuLyYSCblbl9aeqr?usp=sharing

I'll be updating this folder regularly, so please bookmark the Drive link! If you have any IELTS preparation material that others can benefit from, do comment.