The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardized English language proficiency test for non-native English language speakers. The test serves as eligibility criteria for immigration and admission to universities in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Owing to its universal acceptance and demand by Indians for study abroad purposes, it only makes sense to discuss few cardinal measures to follow towards its preparation. The present article is intended to share in few tricks and strategies for taking this test. 

MANAGE TIME EFFECTIVELY

Success in IELTS is about accuracy with speed. While preparing for the test, you aim should be to keep pace with the time while solving the questions. But you should not develop an affinity with any question, just in case if any question takes more than its reasonable time, you should leave it and move forward to the next one. This will you will be able to attempt the maximum possible number of questions and will increase your chances of getting a good band score.

Keep in mind the distribution of question types and the time allocated for each section. Reading and listening sections have 40 questions each with a time limit of 60 minutes and 30 minutes respectively for each section. For writing and speaking section time won’t be of many challenges at all, provided you are able to put your points across in a clear and succinct manner.

CONSISTENT PREPARATION

Rome wasn’t built in a day and so is the case with IELTS. You should try mocking sample questions, watching IELTS training videos on various topics, and creating opportunities to speak on anything for 2-3 minutes at a stretch. After all, this is a test that is skills-based rather than information based and success in this test will help make the future learning easy and effective. 

STRATEGIES FOR READING

Skimming and Scanning

If there’s any one section that will demand most of you in time management skills, it is the Reading section of the test. It is a sin to go through the entire passage. The Idea is to just a rough idea of the passage by skimming and scanning for the main ideas. Inevitably, you will have to trace back and forth to answer the questions and match with the content of the passage. So, there’s absolutely no need to do detailed reading of the entire passage. Remember that IELTS is a language proficiency test and is not an aptitude test. You will be required to match your answer with the content of the passage. It will be more focused on content rather than context. Counter-intuitive though it may seem, you should always develop a relaxed approach while going through the contents of the passage. Why should it be the case?? We are explaining it in the next strategy.

Process of Elimination

The process of elimination (POE) is the only failsafe strategy you will have to employ while scanning through the answer choices. If you are initially tempted to find the right answer, chances are you will inevitably fall for the trap answer (in the form of extreme language, out of scope, recycled language, half right-half wrong). Your aim should be to eliminate the poor answers to filter out the most appropriate. The reading and the speaking sections take the most time in preparation. The only way to develop proficiency in both areas is by repeated practice. 

STRATEGIES FOR WRITING

Scoring well in this section will depend on how well you are able to use the conventional English language to organize your thoughts on the subjects and support them with logic and examples. You will not be judged on vocabulary, so just try to keep your points in simple language form with minimum grammatical errors.

Brainstorm

Spend the initial 5-7 minutes on brainstorming ideas or pieces of information you will mention on the subject. Remember writing two essays of roughly 150 and 250 words in 20 minutes and 40 minutes time respectively is not a herculean task. So it is highly advisable not to rush in with the topic without brainstorming on ideas to put across. This way you will be able to streamline your task without digressing from the main issue. Organization of ideas is of critical importance here.

Cut out the excess clichés

All effective writing goes through review. The final 2-3 minutes should be devoted to this. You should try to cut out excess clichés, avoid redundant information, passive language forms. Try to practice putting your ideas in the least words possible. Maintain consistency in the flow of ideas. Use paragraphs whenever there’s a change in an idea. Since there’s a word limit you will be rated on how well you are able to write on the issue with organization, clarity, and concision.

STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

The listening section consists of 40 questions to be attempted in 30 minutes. The questions are designed across various formats viz. speech by a single speaker, dialogue, and conversation among 4 speakers. The fundamental thing is to keep a close ear to the message.

Focus on the Main Idea

Look for words that come out in virtually every statement. Most likely those words will be part of the main idea. Be alert for any voice changes like high pitch or volume indicating some critical information on the subject. Adjectives are of special concern since IELTS design many questions around the description of objects.

Interpret the Critical Information

Try to interpret the conversation by putting yourself in the speaker’s shoes. This way you will also have conceptual clarity of the conversation. Role-playing is a very healthy practice to gain clarity in this area. Listening to debates on English news channels can come in handy to practice this area. Moreover, use your scratch paper to jot down key points. Don’t rely on memory. Practice taking notes from recorded transcripts within stipulated time without repeating the audio. 

STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING

This section will comprise of a general question about you, a monologue on a subject, and a discussion on that very subject.

Prepare on all possible questions

You may be just asked about your introduction or you may well be asked about your most memorable experience. The possibilities are many. Since questions can be designed in any manner your aim should be jotted down few points on every aspect of your life and speak on it for a few minutes regularly. Try to avoid slangs at all cost. Keep your sentences short and to the point.

Create a Template

If you want to be a good speaker, be a master storyteller. Weave your ideas to create a story on subjects ranging from arts, science, and religion to politics, humanities, and technology. The more you speak the better you will be in speaking. With constant practising, you will be able to articulate your ideas in a unique way and start to organize your points in a specific format. You may even try to create a template that will work to speak on any subject. The only work left will then be of filling in the gaps with information that shall validate your points.