IELTS Listening
The Listening Test is the first thing you have to do when you take an IELTS exam.
The Listening Test has 4 sections. Each section contains 10 questions, so there are 40 questions in total. The test lasts about 30 minutes, then you have an extra 10 minutes to write your answers on an answer sheet.
Here are some of the problems students have with IELTS Listening:
- You only have ONE chance to listen to the recording.
- Correct spelling is important.
- Different English accents are used.
- Some of the questions are designed to trick you.
To solve these problems, we need to do a lot of listening and spelling practice. There are also some exam tips and techniques that I can give you. However, listening practice will help you much more than exam techniques.
If you want to have "a good ear", you need to listen to as much English as possible.
IELTS Academic Reading
The Reading Test is immediately after the Listening Test . You do not get a break.
There are 3 sections in the Reading Test. Each section has 13 or 14 questions, making 40 questions in total. The test lasts 60 minutes, and in that time you must write your answers on an answer sheet.
Here are some of the problems students have with IELTS Reading:
- Time is the biggest problem. Many students don't manage to finish the test.
- The texts are long and contain some difficult vocabulary.
- Students find "paragraph headings" questions difficult.
- Students find "true/ false/ not given" questions difficult.
IELTS Reading is really a test of your vocabulary. If your knowledge of English words and phrases is good, you will do well.
There are techniques that can help you to work faster and cope with the difficult question types. However, the best way to improve your IELTS Reading score is by doing a lot of reading and vocabulary work.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The IELTS Writing Test start after the Reading Test. There are 2 parts to the Writing Test, and you have a total of 60 minutes to complete them.
You should spend 20 minutes doing IELTS Writing Task 1. You must write 150 words or more. You will have to describe a graph, chart, table, diagram or map.
We'll work on these areas:
- How to structure a good Task 1 essay.
- How to decide what information to include in your description.
- The words, phrases and grammatical structures for describing graphs, charts, tables, diagrams and maps.
By using the right techniques, you can write the kind of essay that examiners like.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 2
In the second part of the IELTS Academic Writing Test, you have to write 250 words. You should spend 40 minutes on this task. Writing Task 2 is worth more than Task 1, so you need to do it well.
For IELTS Writing Task 2, you have to write an essay discussing a topic. You will be given an opinion/ argument, different points of view or a problem to discuss.
For IELTS Writing Task 2, you have to write an essay discussing a topic. You will be given an opinion/ argument, different points of view or a problem to discuss.
Most students prepare phrases for introducing and linking ideas. However, not many students prepare good ideas and opinions for IELTS topics.
We'll work on these areas:
- How to structure a good Task 2 essay.
- Preparation of ideas, opinions and good vocabulary for each IELTS topic.
- How to build and link sentences to create coherent paragraphs.
- Common mistakes in grammar and word usage.
Some hard work on these areas can make a big difference to your writing score.
IELTS Speaking
The IELTS Speaking Test is the final part of the exam. You can take only your ID document into the exam room.
The test lasts between 11 and 14 minutes. You will be interviewed by an examiner who will record your conversation. Timing is strictly controlled by the examiner, so don't be surprised if he or she interrupts you during an answer.
There are 3 parts to the Speaking Test:
- Introduction/ interview: around 10 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.
- Short presentation: talk for 2 minutes with 1 minute to prepare.
- Discussion: around 5 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.
Preparation is the key to a good score in IELTS Speaking. Different skills are tested in each part, so you need to know exactly what to do.
We can predict the kinds of questions that the examiner will ask. We'll prepare ideas, possible answers and good vocabulary for each part of the test.