The new year is a great time to celebrate your language learning achievements and think about what’s next. If IELTS is the next step for your English, this is also a great time to set realistic and reachable goals.
Whether you want to study overseas, improve your job prospects or just get better at communicating, we can help you make it happen in 2024.
In this post, we’ll show you easy ways to plan your study goals for IELTS success.
Benefits of Setting IELTS Study Goals
Setting goals makes your IELTS study time more enjoyable because you have a clear direction. Goals can also put you on the road to achieving your desired band score by helping you:
Break big tasks into smaller tasks, making it easier to get things done.
Use your study time efficiently because you know what to focus on.
Balance study with other parts of your life.
Measure your progress so you feel good about your achievements.
Just make sure they’re the right kind of goals: SMART goals.
Setting SMART Goals
So, what are SMART goals and how are they smarter than regular goals?
Let’s start by looking at each letter of the SMART acronym and what it stands for.
Specific: The IELTS test covers different skills and question types, so it’s important that you narrow down your goals to the area that you want to focus on. For example, if you want to improve your writing, think about your target band score and what part of writing is the most difficult for you.
Too big: I want to get better at writing.
Better: I want to get a Band 6 in the IELTS Writing Test.
Best: I want to improve my sentence structure, so I can achieve a Band 6 in the IELTS Writing Test.
Measurable: Decide what you will do and how you will track your progress, such as the number of exercises you’ll do or how much time you’ll spend on your study activities.
Example: I will complete two timed practice Reading Tests every week.
Achievable: Can you reach your goal in the time you have? Set realistic goals for your current English level. Look at how much time you have every week and all your other commitments such as work or family.
Don’t be afraid to start small. For example, instead of speaking in English for three hours every day, find opportunities to chat for 10 minutes with people you see each day, such as friends, housemates, teachers or coffee shop workers.
Relevant: Make sure your language learning goals match what you need for IELTS and beyond. How will reaching this goal help you achieve your bigger dreams after the test?
Example: I want to get better at Part 4 of the Listening Test, so I can achieve a Band 8 in IELTS. I’m applying to study in Australia, so I also want to make sure that I can understand my teachers.
Time-bound: Choose a time when you want to reach your goal. Deadlines create motivation and make it easier to plan when to study.
Example: My goal is to speak more fluently in English, so I can achieve Band 7 by 20th March.
Let’s look at example SMART goals for each IELTS skill:
IELTS Listening - Example SMART Goal |
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My goal is to get better at Part 4 of the Listening test, so I can achieve a Band 8 by the end of February. I will do this by watching an IDP masterclass to learn some IELTS listening strategies and by completing four practice tests every week. This goal is important to me because I’m applying to study in Australia, and I want to understand my teachers. |
IELTS Reading - Example SMART Goal |
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My goal is to get better at managing my time in the IELTS Reading test, so I can increase my band score by 0.5 by 1st March. I will do this by learning some IELTS reading strategies to help me read faster and by completing two timed practice Reading Tests every week. This goal is important to me because I want to do a Master of Education and will need to read a lot of academic research articles in a short time. |
IELTS Writing - Example SMART Goal |
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My goal is to improve my sentence structure, so I can achieve a Band 6 in Writing by the end of March. I will do this by completing at least three writing exercises every week and by getting feedback from my tutor in our weekly classes. This goal is important to me because I need to write a lot of emails, reports and letters for my job. |
IELTS Speaking - Example SMART Goal |
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My goal is to speak more fluently in English, so I can achieve Band 7 by 20th March. I will do this by speaking in English for at least fifteen minutes every day and by completing one practice Speaking Test with a study partner every week. This goal is important to me because I am living in Canada and want to improve my communication skills so I can get a better job. |
Now it’s Your Turn
What would you like to improve before you take the IELTS test?
Use the examples above to write your own SMART goals. You can download our template here.
My goal is to ____________________________________ (action verb + goal) by ________(date/time).
I will do this by __________________________________ (verb with -ing + study activities or habits).
This goal is important to me because ___________ (explain why you want to achieve this goal).
Doing What You Say You Will Do
You’ve written down your SMART goals. You’ve put study time in your calendar. But how do you make sure you follow through with your study plan?
Try one of the tips below to stay on track for IELTS success in 2024:
Share your goals with friends, family or an online community.
Find an IELTS study partner. Practise together or talk about how you’re doing.
Ask a teacher to give you feedback and advice.
Reward yourself when you finish tasks or reach weekly goals.
Make time to check on your progress.
If things don’t go to plan, learn from the experience and be ready to change your study plan if you need to.
Start the new year strong by joining our IELTS SMART Goals Challenge. Share your IELTS goals for 2024 on Instagram by tagging us @ieltsbyidp and using the hashtag #MyIELTSgoal, or by posting in our Facebook group to be shown on our page.
Let’s build a community that cheers each other on. Post your IELTS New Year goals today!