Your study abroad or migrating plans are on, now you have got to start your IELTS Exam Preparation. One important step is to plan your IELTS test preparation.
Preparing at home for your IELTS Test? Speed up your process with these 5 easy steps. Smart thinking and applications of skills is the key to crack your IELTS Test.
PRACTICE TEST:
First thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to start preparing at least 3 to 6 months prior to your actual test. With all the 4 sections Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking it is confusing to understand which section to concentrate more on.
So, taking a practice test helps you vet yourself and understand where you stand. Speaking Practice tests are not available in any online practice tests but you can always practice and get a review from experts.
Read More: Which test is meant for you – IELTS Academic or IELTS General?
Reading, Writing and Listening practice tests are available on many platforms and also with organisations who conduct the tests.
Taking a test helps you understand your weak sections and strong sections. Once you know that you can always work on how you can strategically apply your skills and work more on your weaker sections.
UNDERSTAND TEST FORMAT AND TIMINGS:
Managing time for the exam is of utmost importance since the IELTS test is largely about strategic applications of your skills.
IELTS is an English Proficiency Test so it is important that the candidate performs the best. Increasing a band in the test is not an easy task, but with practice and strategies that can be achieved too.
Each section of the test has a specific time slot and format of questions and answers, understand them properly and work on how that skill can be fully worked upon.
Time management is to be taken care of mostly in your Writing and Reading section. Each task should be carefully allotted time, so that you don’t miss answering a task or any set of questions from a task.
Read More: Which mode is better – Paper Based IELTS Vs Computer Based IELTS?
DEVELOP YOUR CAPABILITIES AND APPROACH STRATEGY:
Answering some practice tests helps you understand where you exactly fall short. Based on that you start working on sharpening your skills to use them in the right manner and work on the weaker sections as well to not lose points.
- Vocabulary is one thing that needs to be practiced the most. There are several applications available for that now. Learning a minimum of 5 new words a day is suggested.
- Assertive sentence formation for your Writing and Speaking tests is also a desirable skill for a good band score.
- Reading between the lines is important, that’s where the answers usually are found.
PRACTICE YOUR READING AND WRITING:
The Reading and Writing part of the IELTS test is about managing your time efficiently. Both parts have different sections and tasks that need thorough practice.
You should ideally time both these sections while you are preparing for the tests at home.
- Hone your vocabulary skills.
- Make a mental note of all the keywords while reading and build a gist of the paragraph in your mind.
- While writing, keep in mind that you do not repeat the words and use synonyms instead. The idea is to test your knowledge in English and not otherwise.
DEVELOP LISTENING AND SPEAKING:
Listening and Speaking is supposed to test your attentiveness during the test. The tests are 30 mins and 15 mins, respectively. Hence, it is very important to practice with your trail tests before the exam.
The key strategy here is to develop your focus and listen to every single detail. You can also develop your listening skills with the help of podcasts in different English accents.
While speaking, remember to always choose confidence and speak with clear pronunciations. Make sure you do not over-complicate the sentences and take pauses wherever necessary.
You can practice by having regular conversations with your friends and family in English to practice on the go.
Visit the best Online Training Institute for IELTS Preparation Course.