Cracking the IELTS Code: Strategies for Successful Exam Preparation
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is the world’s most popular English
language proficiency test. Around four million people appear for the test globally in a year. The test is
taken by those who want to study or stay in an English-speaking environment or want to migrate to an
English-speaking country. Mostly, people take this exam to study in a university in an English-speaking
country or work in any such country.
IELTS is developed and run by the British Council in partnership with IDP Education and Cambridge
Assessment English. There are two types of IELTS- IELTS Academics and IELTS General Training.
Through IELTS Academics, you can get University acceptance, and a student visa and prove your proficiency
to professional organisations. IELTS General Training tests your English language proficiency in the
workspace and is often helpful in applying for a new position in a company of an English-speaking
environment.
Now, let’s come to the preparation tips for the examination. Like every examination, IELTS too requires
hard work. However, you need to differentiate or keep a balance between hard work and smart work. Here are
some tips that will help you in preparing for the exam:
1. Don’t Memorise
IELTS has two levels of examinations- Speaking and Writing. In both tests, you need to be confident enough
to face any question. In other words, you shouldn’t memorise a pattern and use the same to answer every
question. Your answers need to be natural and improvised. The examiners, in fact, are keen on
differentiating between memorised answers and improvised answers. Fluency and coherence, Lexical resources,
Grammatical range and accuracy play a major role in impressing the examiner in the Speaking and Writing
tests.
2. Practice
Practice makes a man perfect- you must have heard this proverb. While preparing for IELTS, you need to
bring the proverb into application. Practice questions of both Speaking and Writing examinations. There are
online courses and tools available that will assist you in practising for the tests.
3. Listening Practice
Other than Speaking and Writing tests, IELTS involves Listening tests too. This test will measure how well
you understand ideas, recognise opinions and follow the arguments developing from them. So to practice for
this test, you need to listen to content in the English language and decode everything. You can listen to TV
dramas and focus on the dialogues, you can watch short videos or lectures in English.
4. Practice Reading
Another level of the IELTS test is the Reading test. This test measures how well you can read and
understand the general sense, identify the ideas and decode the inferences of the author. To master this
test, you need to practise reading on a regular basis. You need to read literary texts, make notes about
them and research for more reading materials.
Conclusion
We hope this article will help you prepare for IELTS and emerge successful. Apart from the tips mentioned
above, you need to follow a few more things to master the exam. You need to be dedicated, disciplined and
smart. Once you mix these three qualities with the tips mentioned above, qualifying IELTS exam will be
easier. All the best.
