Success in IELTS? Making a dream come true needs a long term view !
Ask Sally Tsai, PhD candidate in Education Management at Edinburgh University, ask Troy Chen, on the long road to being a dentist, at James Cook University, Australia – both of them say the same thing: it’s a long road to a high score with IELTS, Be positive, but be realistic: start with general English classes with-very importantly a qualified teacher! Work with someone who has a very solid knowledge of grammar and pronunciation –preferably an individual with a good track record in teaching, better, a licensed English teacher; the better the teacher, the better the result. Don’t fall into the trap of supposing IELTS has a formula, or rather, words or grammar a test taker ought, or ought not to use.
As if to illustrate my point, Sally and Troy spoke confidentially-for as long as possible, in each part of the test, which had a very positive effect on their final score. At the same time, they were very expressive: when they disliked something, or someone? Fine! They explained how they felt!
So I’ve discussed Speaking, of course you want a high score for writing? Again, think long term; our research shows that it takes at least three to six months to increase the altitude by half a band; as with writing, you’ll need to learn the question types for task one and two, and what your writing needs to display, in relation to its attention to the task: is it coherently organized ? Equally have you will need a good level of accuracy, variation and sophistication with your grammar and vocabulary.
Using a university word list, with its accompanying audio/ written file is a very useful way to make a positive difference to your Listening Score. Having listened to two or recording s three times a day, even over a short period – say two months, you’ll find it much easier to cope with new vocabulary, and not to mention new accents – a frequent cause of complaint ! However, that problem, can be solved practicing, and don’t forget IELTS Essentials has a lot of information on ways of improving Listening skills.
My colleague has been learning Chinese for twenty years, I’m always asking him what’s the most difficult part, and for the last seven years he’s said the same thing-reading even after all this time! Gladly, though, he offers the same advice, when it comes to tests, improve your technique: skimming, scanning and to lesser degree, reading for detail.
Success in IELTS is not about if, it’s about when. Our team will help you reach your goal. Feel free to come and talk to us. That aside, I hope this has been helpful, my main point is .think long term, and as the IELTS Experts say ‘best wishes’.