GUIDELINES FOR PASSING THE IELTS
READING
READING
To do well in the reading test, you will need to understand the task types and
you‘ll need plans for reading quickly and efficiently.
BACKGROUND PREPARATION
During the weeks before your IELTS test, it is advisable
to read as much as you can of different types of test. If
you are preparing for IELTS Academic you will need to
read articles with an academic style. English
newspapers are recommended.
Whilst you are reading, try to practice developing the
skills required for IELTS, such as summarising the
content, giving headings to paragraphs, deciding what is
fact and what is opinion and thinking of alternative words
for words you see in the text.
The Independent / Science
www.independent.co.uk/news/science
The Age / Travel
www.theage.com.au/travel
The New York Times / Health
www.nytimes.com/pages/health/index/html
Three Tips for your reading test
 Don’t start reading the whole text and then the questions/ you will not
have time. Start by looking the title, headings, the first paragraph, and
the first sentence of the other paragraphs and the final sentence of the
text.
 Look at the questions and highlight the key words. A s you are doing
this, think of alternative words because these are likely to occur in the
text. For example, the word ‘rich’ may appear in the question, where
the original word in the text is ‘wealthy’.
 Make sure you are familiar with the question types. You can only do
this by spending as much time as possible practising. Consider trying the
British Council’s ‘Road to IELTS’.
Free daily tips and advice for IELTS preparation: www.facebook.com/PractiseforIELTS
GUIDELINES FOR PASSING THE IELTS
SPEAKING
SPEAKING
The key to doing well in the Speaking test is to know what the examiner is looking
for.
BACKGROUND PREPARATION
You need to be aware of the language areas the examiner is
looking for:
Fluency is a natural, continuous flow of language:
You can only develop this with lots of practice. You need to take
every opportunity to speak in English with family, friends,
teachers, whilst you are shopping and with anyone you know
who speaks English.
There are two aspects to vocabulary and grammar:
One is accuracy, your vocabulary and grammar must be correct.
The second one is range: you need to use a variety of words for
a single concept and use complex sentences. Listen to how
educated native speakers talk on the BBC (Google BBC Radio 4
schedule). You could then record yourself practising talking on
the same topic and assess yourself.
Pronunciation:
You need to be clear and easy to understand. Consider
subscribing to a programme such as Clear Pronunciation which
helps both with individual sounds and with word and sentence
stress, intonation, connected speech and consonant clusters.
Four Tips for your speaking test
 When you run a race, you warm up beforehand. So you can
warm up your mind by thinking in English before you go into the
test. Talk to other candidates in English while you are waiting.
 Most people are nervous in the Speaking test and the examiner
understands this. If you have an attack of nerves, pause and say
“ I’m sorry, I’m very nervous. Can you give me a second” . Then
take a deep breath and carry on.
 Don’t learn your answers by heart. The examiner will spot this
and will give zero marks for prepared answers.
 Don’t get too stressed about getting everything correct. Everyone
makes mistakes - including native speakers.
Free daily tips and advice for IELTS preparation: www.facebook.com/PractiseforIELTS
GUIDELINES FOR PASSING THE IELTS
LISTENING
LISTENING
In the listening test, you need to understand native speakers talking quickly. Do
you know how you can achieve a good score?
THE BASICS
The test lasts 40 minutes, includes 40 questions and each correct answer is worth one mark, making a
total of 40 marks.
The test is in four sections:
1. A conversation in a social situation, such as buying cinema tickets.
2. One person speaking in a social situation, such as describing the facilities in a gymnasium.
3. A conversation in an educational context, such as a conference.
4. A lecture on a topic of general academic interest, such as climate change.
You will be asked to listen for about 30 minutes and you will have 10 minutes to transfer your
answers from the question booklet to your answer sheet. The audio is played only ONCE.
TWO Key
elements in
your
preparation for
the LISTENING
TEST
1. Improve your listening skills with materials
online (Try Ted.com)
 Choose a lecture and listen
 Listen again. It doesn’t matter if you
don’t understand every word; try and
pick out the main ideas.
 Listen a third time, if you need to and
click on Show transcript beneath the
video screen.
2. Make sure you understand the
question types
This is important. You need to
fully understand what is
expected of you beforehand;
you will not have time to work
this out during the test.
Do you understand the
question types: form
completion, multiple selection,
classification
IN THE TEST ROOM - GETTING THE BEST POSSIBLE SCORE
Before Listening
After the audio introduction, you will
have 30 seconds to read the task.
Use this time to read the instructions,
and make sure you know what to do.
Look at the situation (eg a library)
and predict the situations and
vocabulary you will hear (loan period,
library catalogue, digital resources).
For each question, predict the type of
word you are listening for. Is it a
number, a place, a noun, a verb or an
adjective?
As you listen
Note down key words, but
don’t try to write everything
you hear. You won’t be able to
and you will miss important
information. Listen for
signpost words and phrases
such as firstly…, now I want
to talk about …. To help you
structure the information in
your mind. Be aware of
synonyms (alternative words).
If you hear ‘the meeting is
held annually’ the answer
could be ‘the meeting takes
place yearly’.
Free daily tips and advice for IELTS preparation: www.facebook.com/PractiseforIELTS
After Listening
Remember that you have 10 minutes
to transfer your answers to the
answer sheet.
 Make sure you don’t write
more than the maximum
number of words allowed for
each answer, eg the question
might ask you to WRITE NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS.
 Check you spelling and
grammar. Make sure you write
the plural forms of nouns when
needed.
 If in doubt, guess. You do not
lose marks for a wrong answer, so
there is nothing to be gained from
leaving an answer blank.
GUIDELINES FOR PASSING THE IELTS
WRITING
WRITING
In the writing test, effective time management is the key to achieving your best
possible band score.
BACKGROUND PREPARATION
In order to prepare effectively, you should first look at the marking criteria.
Your examiner is looking for:
Have you fulfilled the requirements of the task? Is your answer
relevant, appropriate and accurate?
Can you develop an argument and support your ideas with evidence?
Do you express your ideas clearly, eg with signpost words and good
organisation?
Is your vocabulary appropriate, accurate and varied?
Is your grammar accurate and varied?
Use these criteria to highlight your weak areas. How do you do this?
Find some essays you have written in the past. Read through each one
five times - each time you read, focus on one of the marking criteria
above. When you have finished you should have a clear idea of your
strengths and weaknesses. Focus on improving your performance in
your weak areas.
Four Tips for your writing test
IN THE TEST ROOM
 It is important to write in paragraphs. Focus on one idea in each
paragraph and introduce it with a topic sentence. The rest of the
paragraph should explain, expand on, support or illustrate the
idea.
 In Task 2, make sure that you structure your essay with an
introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction should
not be long, and the conclusion should be a summary of the key
points and your final viewpoint.
 Do not simply copy words from the question paper. Use your
own words to paraphrase the question and make sure you
demonstrate the range of your vocabulary.
 Don’t use bullet points or note form; you need to write in
complete sentences.
Remember that Task 2 is worth twice as much as
Task 1, so spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40
minutes on Task 2.
You need to manage the time allocated to each Task.
Divide the time between planning, writing and reviewing.
When you’ve finished you need time to count your words
and to check spelling, grammar and punctuation - checking
your work is an easy and effective way of boosting your
band score. You need to think about what you are going to
write before you start.
Free daily tips and advice for IELTS preparation: www.facebook.com/PractiseforIELTS
GUIDELINES FOR PASSING THE IELTS
PREPARING FOR IELTS
PREPARING FOR IELTS
Here are four ideas for you to prepare for the IELTS test.
1. Make sure you understand the IELTS test
3. Clarify your objectives
Do you know what you have to do in each of the
four tests: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening?
Understanding the task types is the first critical step
on the road to the band score you need.
There are various IELTS online resources and books
available. We would recommend Road to IELTS, the
official British Council preparation resource.
2. Analyse your strengths and weaknesses
You will not significantly change your overall level of
English in three weeks, but you will be able to make a
big difference in specific areas. For example, you
could work on:
Paragraphs and topic sentences to help you to
structure Writing Task 2.
Backing up your statements with reasons in the
Speaking test.
Proof reading to remove errors in the Reading,
Listening and Writing tests.
Guessing topics, words and phrases in the Listening
test by looking at papers used previously. This will
make listening easier on test day.
(Three past papers for each of the Listening, Reading
and Writing tests are available in Road to IELTS).
4. Organise and schedule your time
You have a limited amount of time to prepare for
the IELTS test. You need to spend that time where it
will have the greatest advantage. So if you are
good at speaking, but less good at writing, you
should focus your time on improving your writing.
This seems obvious but research shows that students
often practise the skills they are already good at. It’s
easier!
You probably know your strengths and weaknesses,
but to be sure:
Talk to your English teacher (if you have one)
Try some practice tests and compare the band
scores you achieve in each module.
Practise on Road to IELTS which has a function
enabling you to compare your scores with hundreds
of thousands of other people using it online.
For Speaking and Writing, find out what the
examiner is looking for.
Free daily tips and advice for IELTS preparation: www.facebook.com/PractiseforIELTS
Perhaps you only have three weeks to study before
your test. There are other things you need to do in
that time; you will sleep and eat, work, exercise,
undertake chores. Calculate how much time you
actually have, and when it is. Perhaps you have just
two hours per day to study - it certainly won’t be as
much as you think! You should allocate this time
based on your strengths and weaknesses as
described above. Before you even start studying
make a schedule where you allocate time to
Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. If possible,
be more
specific.
“I have three
weeks to
prepare for
IELTS. How
can I get the
band score I
need?”