If you’ve ever applied for a visa to Australia, you know that you’re required to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. You know that it costs quite a bit of money ($340!); that it’s only valid for two years; and that your specific industry or course probably requires you to score within a certain bandwidth.
So if you want to avoid spending more money and wasting more time, here are some tips you can opt to follow to get higher IELTS scores:
1. Writing: Remember that your use of language is more important than your ideas.
You may have the most meaningful, most life-changing, most mind-imploding ideas in the entire universe; but, if you are unable to put your ideas to paper in proper English, you still won’t score high on this section of the test.
Writing: Language use is more important than ideas. Source: Pixabay
Writing is the visual representation of the spoken word; so the best way to improve this skill is by actually looking at words on paper (or your screen). Read articles and books to get a feel of how proper grammar looks like, to see how a sentence should be structured, and to find out how particular words should be spelled.
2. Listening: Use capital words.
Listening: Use capital words Source: Pixabay
For the listening and reading parts of the test, you can use capital letters.
The great thing about using capital letters is that it makes your handwriting more legible. It also prevents you from misusing uppercase and lowercase letters if you’re not confident about capitalisation rules.
3. Reading: Underline keywords.
Your task doesn't include knowing the full passage by heart. If you take too long reading, you might not have enough time for this part of the test.
Reading: Skim, scan and find keywords Source: mali maeder from Pexels
Your task is to find the answers to the questions given. This means that all you need to do is to find the specific information being required of you. The rest is merely background noise.
The easiest way to locate the information you need is to underline important keywords in the text. Some keywords tend to be obvious, such as proper nouns, dates, etc; however, some are subtly significant such as words that are similar or synonymous to words in the given questions.
4. Speaking: Your accent doesn’t matter.
Speaking: Accents don't matter. Source: mentatdgt from Pexels
You’re not required to have an Australian accent, so don’t force it. Be proud of the accent you have. Your momma gave you that accent.
Instead of trying to adopt an Aussie accent, focus on speaking at a relaxed and natural pace. Be mindful of your vocabulary and thought organisation. Elaborate on your answers and make sure that you speak more than the one conducting the test.
Before taking the exam, practice conversing with an English speaker. Not only will you get tips regarding conversing in English, you’ll be more confident on test day.
5. Review and practice: IELTS is part skill and part strategy.
English is a learned skill. You get better at it the more you study it and put it into practice.
Review and practice! Source: Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels
The IELTS not only tests your English skill, it tests it under time pressure. Because of this, you’re going to have to be strategic when it comes to utilising the skill you have. This is when reviewing and practicing help a great deal.
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