How I scored 8.5 in IELTS in my first attempt
By: Yasmin Sajitha
Tags: Ielts, Ielts Coaching, Language Learning, Tips And Tricks, Ielts Preparation

How I scored 8.5 in IELTS in my first attempt

I recently took the IELTS General exam and scored 8.5.

Listening — 9

Reading — 9

Speaking — 7.5

Writing — 7.5

Overall score — 8.5

In this article I would like to share some tips and tricks which I hope would be useful to someone who is going to attempt the exam. Let’s get started!

General tips

Confidence

IELTS is just an exam to measure your English proficiency. It is not the end of the world or a statement about you as a person. So don’t get intimidated by the exam. Confidence is the key.

Exam format

It is important to understand the exam format how it is scored. Once you understand this and create a plan on how to tackle IELTS, it is half the battle won. The idea is to beat IELTS at its own game.

Practice

This is the single most important step which can make or break you score. Evaluate yourself and try to understand your strengths and weaknesses. If you are not confident about a particular section practice more. Keep practicing until you are able to have the confidence that you will surely score well.

Listening

The best practice for listening is to get accustomed to different accents. This will enable you understand the audio and extract information during the exam. Please be patient and do not jump in to answer the question (even before they ask). Yes it can happen:) Another important step is to read all the instructions carefully. There are separate instructions for each section so make sure you understand and follow them. Once you completed the section and transferring the final answers to the sheet, please be careful not to make any spelling errors.

Reading

Skim the text the first time and try to get the gist of it. Read the text second time in a more detailed and careful manner. Once you are reading the third time you will be easily able to find out the answers. If a text is complicated don’t waste time on it. Move on to other sections and come back to it later.

Writing

There are two tasks for writing. Task 1 is about 150 words and it is pretty simple like writing a letter to your friend or about the places you visited. The second task is quite difficult and you must be careful. In Task 2 you will be given an argument and you will be asked to talk for it or against it. It is mandatory that you provide at least two reasons supporting or denying the argument.

Your essay must have an introduction and conclusion. Start your introduction with a topic sentence and introduce the two ideas in the introduction. Then write a paragraph about your first idea and another paragraph about your second idea. In the conclusion again mention the two ideas and complete the essay. This is the simplest fool proof method of completing the essay in the given time.

Count the average number of words in your sentences when you practice at home. During the exam you can just count the number of lines and calculate the total number of words easily. This will save you time and reduce anxiety. Do not write less than the required number of words. This will impact your score negatively.

Speaking

Always be honest with the examiner. If you are not aware about the subject please mention it politely. Do not pretend that you know about the topic and give fake answers. This will waste your time and also give a bad opinion to the examiner. Always listen to the questions carefully and then try to answer. Try to talk slowly but not too slow.

These are some of the tips about my experience in IELTS. I hope you liked the article. Please give your comments and support as this is my first article on Medium.