If you want to maximize your chance to get a good score in IELTS, you will need to be good at a few things.
- Know how to keep cool when things somehow went horribly wrong.
- Time management.
- Good health and stamina.
- Know how to take everything positively and accept reality.
Keeping Cool and Time management:
IELTS is a strictly timed exam, and nobody knows who you are. The invigilators will take your answer script away once your exam time is over. No matter how much you appeal to them, you will not get even a second extra.
Naturally, this time restriction creates unimaginable pressure on the examinees. Everyone feels this pressure to some extent. Only exceptional are those who learn how to adapt to this pressure.
Listening will continue like a flowing river. If you fall behind, that is the end of you. The only way to excel is to read ahead. Have a look at the following tips, please.
- At the beginning of each listening test section, you will have half a minute. Use this time to read ahead. Read and reread as many questions as you can. Always know your capacity to read ahead. Some can read the whole section, and some can read only half of it.
- While you read or skim through the questions, mark a few important keywords – nouns, specific verbs, adjectives, and take special care not to miss any dates, days, or years. Mark fast and as many as you can.
- So, when you write your answers during the listening test, do not transfer them right away. At the end of the test, you will get an extra 10 minutes to transfer your answers to your answer sheet.
Time management is very important during your IELTS, especially in writing and reading.
- If you can save some time, you can revise your writing script for spelling, grammar, and mistakes.
- You have to save time while reading to answer the difficult parts. If you do not make proper strategies to save time, you cannot do well in reading.
Good health and Stamina:
It may sound funny to you, but you also need a well-rested body and mind to do well in your exam. Without stamina, you cannot last these long grueling 3 hours and cope with the pressure. Here is how,
- Change your lifestyle to one that has enough rest.
- After a good night’s sleep, your mind is fresh, so go out and have a little walk or run to get rid of all the laziness from sleep.
- Eat fresh and healthy food for these two weeks.
- Now that your mind is charged and awake, and the body is well-nourished: it is time to study.
- Build your listening stamina by listening and taking notes for 10 to 15 minutes straight, do not rewind. If you do, you will cheat yourself. If you really have to rewind, do it after the whole 15 minutes of the listening session. This will slowly build your stamina for listening.
- Read and finish difficult English pieces every day for straight 2 hours. Do not stop.
- Write what you listen to and read every day. Write accurate and concise reports as many as you can. Practice revising and finding mistakes and correcting them.
- Speak what you write, read and listen. Speak for 10-15 minutes on the same topic. Find the best way to express and present your information. Record yourself and listen to it and try to improve. The more you practice, the better you become.
Accept reality
Take a few mock tests to find out what your level is. Whatever band score you get, take it as a reality and consider yourself strong or weak and prepare yourself to face reality. Do not target a score. It will only put you under pressure. Just accept yourself and face reality head-on with a positive attitude.