IELTS Preparation Tips

All those who aspire to seek quality education in the top-notch international institutions must be aware of the importance of qualifying the English proficiency tests. One of the choicest language proficiency exams is IELTS, i.e. International English Testing System (IELTS) which aims to assess the candidates’ proficiency in English on four basic abilities like Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Further, there are two types of IELTS for different purposes and are referred to as IELTS Academic and IELTS General. If you are aiming to appear for this exam, here is a blog which brings you a list of beneficial IELTS preparation tips which can help you achieve the desired score you need to apply for your chosen program and university.

Quick Read: Best Books for IELTS Preparation

IELTS Preparation Tips and Tricks

 International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a notable examination that is compulsory to qualify if the candidate is planning to attain overseas education and belongs to a country where English is not an official language. If you are planning to appear for IELTS 2021, here are some of the important IELTS preparation tips and tricks for you:

Make a Study Plan

To crack any competitive exam, it is imperative to draft a study plan and schedule that ensures your timely preparation for the exam. Your study plan to crack the IELTS must be carefully devised while keeping in mind, the concepts you need to strengthen as well as the ones you are good at. Before you begin with the IELTS preparation, it is important to attempt a mock test and analyse your current position. Amongst the key preparation tips, you must create a preparation strategy by evaluating the difference between your achieved score and the target score. Through this test, you will easily know about your strengths and weaknesses, thus, you must accordingly bifurcate the time that should be devoted to each section. 

Must Read: How to Crack IELTS in 3 Months?

Improve your Vocabulary

In order to enhance your vocabulary, you must read a newspaper daily as well as inculcate the habit to learn a few new words every day. Highlight the new words you come across while reading a book or newspaper and look out for their meanings in a monolingual dictionary. By using an English to English dictionary you will also get to know about its synonyms and antonyms while looking for the meaning. A unique way to memorise the new words is to make paper chits with words you have recently learned written on them and putting these chits in a box. Now, randomly pick out a few chits every day and try to remember the meanings of the words you get. Creating a vast pool of vocabulary is one of the most important IELTS preparation tips as it will help you effectively target each section of the exam.

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Also Read: IELTS Reading Tips & Preparation Strategies

Enhance Your Writing Skills

Writing is also an integral part of the IELTS examination. Ensure that you spend at least an hour daily on writing an essay on any topic. Try to incorporate new words and phrases that you’ve learned recently, using them while practising common IELTS essay topics will help you retain their meanings while also working on your writing proficiency. Make sure that you are writing in a formal tone and restrain from using a conversational style of writing. One of the recommended IELTS preparation tips is that you must practice time-based writing adhering to a simpler sentence structure while keeping in mind that you don’t write below the given word limit. 

Put Essential Focus on Fluency and Pronunciation

No matter how well you focus on accentuating your writing and reading, the Speaking section emphasises on assessing your fluency, pronunciation and impromptu response. Remember the examiner is not testing your answer rather your fluency as well as your confidence and how effectively you tackle any difficult question. Practice the commonly-asked IELTS speaking questions while analysing how fluently you are answering each question. Ensure that you use English for your daily communication and watch news debates and bulletins in English to get hold of the accent as well as to learn about responding effectively to any question. One of the most effective IELTS preparation tips is to practice speaking in front of a mirror and assessing your accent, fluency as well as enunciation. Along with working on your vocabulary, you must also learn new phrases which you can mould into the conversation during the test and it will surely help you get a high band score.

Check Out Our Exclusive List of IELTS Speaking Topics!

Practice, Practice & Practice!

IELTS is a time-bound test and includes a variety of questions like MCQs, gap-filling questions, short answers, long answers etc. Hence, it becomes necessary to save some time to revise your answers. As most of the questions require you to write the answer instead of selecting an option, you must adopt the central habit of time-bound writing. You must put in intense hours of practice and go through a variety of sample papers available offline and online. Attentively listen to the English news channels and try to formulate your answer to the questions during a debate and this will surely assist you in improving your writing as well as speaking skills. No matter how many IELTS preparation tips you know, they will be of no good if not put into practice.

Check Out: IELTS Registration 2021           

Prepare for the Listening Section Through Audio Scripts

While IELTS listening evaluates how well you can grasping verbal communication in English through audio format, it also examines your concentration and attentiveness. The best way to practice for IELTS listening section is through audio scripts which consist of word-to-word texts for audios you listen to. Moreover, you only get one chance to listen to the audios in this section so it is important that you train yourself to understand what is being said in one single attempt. Start your IELTS preparation by giving yourself the leniency to pause in between the practice audio tests but then with time, you must also test yourself on how well you can answer after listening to audio files in one single go.

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Best IELTS Preparation Tips for Listening

1. The recording is played only once & it will not be repeated under any circumstances. It is important that all applicants focus on listening at that moment & don’t divert your mind.
2. You should take important notes or pointers from the recording & write them down.
3. There is no negative marking, so instead of leaving the answer blank. You can try your luck by guessing the correct answer.
4. Don’t exceed the word limit & proofread before submission.
5. You can use all capital letters, it will help you in avoiding spelling mistakes.

Best IELTS Preparation Tips for Reading

1. This test has a time limit to test your ability to complete all the questions within the given time frame. Increase your reading speed by regular practicing. It will help you to pin down the answers quickly as well.
2. Look for the keywords, every answer will have keywords that will connect to its question. 
3. It is important that all the answers are grammatically correct. If there are grammatical errors in your answers even if the answer is correct, the response will not be added.
4. Don’t write your answers on the question paper, because of the time limit you won’t be able to rewrite the answers on your sheet. Directly write on your answer sheet only.
5. Practice is the ultimate key to clearing IELTS. Practice the reading questions, it will help you to increase your vocabulary, better understanding of exam patterns, etc.

Best IELTS Preparation Tips for Writing

1. It is advised that you divide your time. The first task will require 20 minutes & the second task will require 40n minutes. Try to finish both the task according to the time divided.
2. The most important tip for the IELTS writing test is the word limit. Try to write your response over 150 words in task 1 & over 250 words in task 2.
3. Avoid using the same phrases, ideas & concepts.
4. All your answers should be in active voice, avoid the use of passive voice.
5. It is recommended to add a conclusion in task 2. Try to write clear & well-defined answers. Don’t add unnecessary words or irrelevant points.

Best IELTS Preparation Tips for Speaking

1. Try to use words you know the correct pronunciation. Mispronounced words or using the word in that are not grammatically correct should be avoided.
2. It is not important to speak fast, you should concentrate on speaking fluently even if you a bit slow.
3. Avoid the use of filler words such as umm, hmm, well, yeah. It will make you sound underconfident.
4. Practice speaking at home on common IELTS topics like education, environment, tourism, etc.
5. It is recommended that you extend your answers but this does not mean adding irrelevant information. Always speak around the context & to the point.

IELTS Exam Day Tips

1. Be punctual. Don’t arrive at your IELTS test center late. Applicants that are late are not allowed to enter the examination hall.
2. Don’t forget to carry a government-issued identification card. Without this, no applicant is allowed to appear for IELTS.
3. At the time of the listening test, make sure your headphones work properly. If there are any issues raise your hand & the invigilator with assist you.
4. Make sure your response is within the word limit. It is important that all applicants go through the test information thoroughly.
5. You are only allowed to carry a transparent water bottle, pen, pencil & eraser. Watches or any electronic devices are not allowed.

How to Prepare for IELTS at Home without Coaching?

Improving your language skills can be difficult in the beginning and takes time to adopt. With consistent practice and staying open to feedback, a student can work on them and incorporate new methods to learn the language and become efficient in it, whether writing, reading or speaking. While carrying out your IELTS preparation online, inculcating small habits mentioned below can help you improve your command over the language.

• Reading newspapers/articles, blogs online
• Listening to podcasts
• Watching documentaries, English language movies with different accents
• Writing emails/messages to friends and families
• Practising your language skills in daily conversations
• Watch IELTS tutorials online

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IELTS Preparation Books

While you gear up for IELTS, you ought to have the perfect notes and study materials in order to ace the exam. There are numerous high-quality books with all the relevant contents and audio files to accelerate your preparation for IELTS. Here are some of the popular books for IELTS preparation that you must have in your collection:

Books	Link
Listening and Speaking Skills by Barry Cusack and Sam McCarter	Click Here to Buy
IELTS General Training & Academic Study Guide	Click Here to Buy
IELTS Preparation and Practice: Reading and Writing Academic Student Book	Click Here to Buy
Success to IELTS: Tips and Techniques	Click Here to Buy
IELTS Reading Tests by Sam McCarter	Click Here to Buy
Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS by Rawdon Wyatt	Click Here to Buy
Improve Your IELTS Writing by Norman Whitby and Sam McCarter	Click Here to Buy
Cambridge Grammar for IELTS	Click Here to Buy
Ace the IELTS: IELTS General Module – How to Maximize Your Score	Click Here to Buy

IELTS Preparation Material

One and only tested and proven best IELTS preparation tip is to practice. Practice will make you perfect and you will be able to ace your test. Check out IELTS preparation material that will help you ace the test:

1. Listening sample 2 task Multiple Choice
2. Listening sample 4 task Sentence Completion
3. IELTS Listening Recording 9
4. Listening sample 6 task Matching
5. Academic Reading sample task – Matching features 
6. Academic Reading sample task – Multiple choice (more than one answer)
7. Academic Writing sample task 1A
8. Academic Writing sample task 2B
9. Speaking sample task part 1 – Recording
10. Speaking sample task part 3 – Prompt

IELTS Preparation Tips PDF

FAQs 

Check Out: IELTS Study Material

Thus, we hope that this blog imparted you with essential IELTS preparation tips to crack this exam. While tips and tricks can help you in your preparation, seeking expert guidance can enable you to achieve your targeted score. Sign up for an online demo session with our Leverage Edu‘s experts and we will help you in gearing up for your IELTS exam with the best preparation strategy and study materials to achieve a higher band score and get into your dream university abroad!