What is IELTS?
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration.
Why is IELTS important?
More than 10,000 organisations globally trust IELTS, so when you take the test you can be confident that it is recognised by educational institutions, employers, governments and professional bodies around the world. As one of the pioneers of four skills English language testing 30 years ago, IELTS continues to set the standard for English language testing today. Governments in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom use IELTS to process immigration applications.
How does IELTS work?
You’ll be assessed on the following elements:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
Choosing the right test
IELTS Academic - measures whether your level of English language proficiency is suitable for an academic environment. It reflects aspects of academic language and evaluates whether you’re ready to begin training or studying.
IELTS General Training - measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The tasks and tests reflect both workplace and social situations. If you are taking the IELTS test to support a UK visa application to work, live or study in the UK, you may need to take the IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Academic or General Training or the IELTS for Life Skills test.
Who owns IELTS?
IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English.
Which test should I take?
There are two IELTS tests available – IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. The test you choose should be based on what it is you want to do. IELTS can help you with a variety of life choices, like moving abroad, getting the job you’ve always wanted or even just improving your English language skills. So before you book your test, be sure to check which one is right for you.
IELTS Indicator is an online test, that was recently introduced, for students not able to take an IELTS test due to Covid-19 shutdown.
IELTS Academic
IELTS Academic measures whether your level of English language proficiency is suitable for an academic environment. It reflects aspects of academic language and evaluates whether you’re ready to begin training or studying.
Take this test if you want to:
- study at an undergraduate level or postgraduate level anywhere in the world
- apply for Student Route visa (Tier 4) at a university that is a Student route (Tier 4) Sponsor in the UK
- work in an English-speaking country for a professional organisation.
IELTS General Training
IELTS General Training measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The tasks and tests reflect both workplace and social situations.
Take this test if you would like to:
- study or train below degree level
- work or undertake work related training in an English-speaking country
- emigrate to an English-speaking country
- get another job in your own country.
Prepare for IELTS
Prepare for your test with a range of free IELTS study materials and resources from the British Council. The first step making sure you are ready to take IELTS is to prepare for it so you know what to expect on the test day. Our IELTS learning materials will get you acquainted with the test format and also improve your confidence when writing, speaking, reading and listening in English. Even if you believe you are a proficient user of English, we still recommend that you prepare thoroughly for your test with our helpful IELTS training resources.
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| IELTS TEAM with H.E Dr. LY CHHENG |
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| SHARING WITH ESL TEACHERS |
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| B9, IELTS Reading (Second Batch) |
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| B9, IELTS Reading (Second Batch) |
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| B5, IELTS Reading (First Batch) |
*GENERAL
- take the computer test (personal choice, but i recommend computer wholeheartedly)
- arrive early
- don’t forget passport/national ID card
- get a good night’s rest and eat well
- maybe some chocolate? Keep energy levels high, but don’t overdo it
*FOR THE TEST
- be confident and relaxed, especially with your posture : the more comfortably you sit, the better
- body language like hand movements etc. are also helpful for expressing your point
- try not to think of it as a test, and more of a conversation
- be polite and charming (if you can) : always nice to make a favorable impression on your examiner
- speak at your own pace, don’t go too fast that you stumble upon words and choke/mess up but don’t speak too slowly that you become unbearable to listen to either
- if you do make mistakes/stutter, correct it calmly or just let it go : overreacting and calling more attention to a small mistake is a big no no
- a lot of times if you speak comfortably and smoothly, any small mistakes will be automatically overlooked : people get the gist of what you’re trying to say
- utilize intonation, the cadence of your voice to inject emotion and slight tweaks to what you’re saying : higher pitched/ lower pitched/ etc. ; listening to someone speaking in a flat monotone voice is just unappealing at best
- expand your range of vocabulary and the grammatical structures of your sentences
- accents are not a must, don’t try to alter your speech too much to the point where you downright mess up basic pronunciation. I’ve noticed a lot of people are afraid of pauses, embrace the quiet and use it to your advantage, pauses can help place more emphasis on what you’re about to say next : just let it happen naturally, don’t blabber and blabber just to fill the silence
- try not to say “err, ummm, mmm, uhhh” , but if you do, like I mentioned above don’t overreact to it
- buy yourself some time to think : ask for the examiner to repeat the question ( don’t do this for every question , otherwise they’ll think your comprehension skill is low)
- I use a few filler phrases to help buy time : “that reminds me of... , well you could say that... , i think i can recall something just like that... “
- if you can’t answer a question exactly the way they asked it, find a work around : ex: “ what sport do you like to play?” Ans: “ Unfortunately, I don’t play any sports, however if I were to choose one to pick up it’d be ..... , it seems rather interesting in the way that .... “ BUT DO NOT stray off topic too much
- don’t be afraid to bullshit your way through questions, however a great lie always has a sliver of truth in it
- having a wide range of vocab, implementation of complex grammatical structures, and speaking fluently and coherently will get you to 8.5 ( my experience)
- to speakers who aim for a 9.0, work on being able to vocalize intricate abstract thoughts and being able to converse quickly and smoothly about deeper subjects ( work on critical thinking skills, and how you cope under time pressure) -> my personal reflections after realizing I only got 8.5.
- read the questions first, it helps give you an idea of what’s going to be said
- listen carefully, but make sure not to hyper-focus and get tunnel vision: meaning you listen too carefully to one thing and miss out on the rest
- you get once chance to listen, I personally use the time reading questions to mark most answers, and the second for the rest and to change any things i may have doubts about
- set up a sequential order in your head when listening, when in the audio’s timeline is each thing being said/happening?
- there will be a few tricks where they mention similar things, use the questions for clues on which answer is correct
- always read the questions first
- try not to have to read the entire passage/article to get answers, instead make use of skimming and scanning skills and recognizing context clues
- skim: to quickly understand the main point, scan: to look for a particular or specific piece of information
- make yourself familiar with the different types of questions and answers : true/false/not mentioned , choosing headings, choosing words from the passage, etc.
- there will be two tasks, task 1 is a report and task 2 is an essay
- do not go beyond word limit
- manage your time wisely, make sure to complete both tasks !
- don’t let your ego get to you like me, I thought I could take my time and I ended up without a conclusion on task 2, getting only a 7 : don’t be like me, always regretting not having that 1 minute to finish things
- if you can’t finely tune out the details and content in one task, leave it first and go finish the structure of the next: you can add in more details later
- use connectors: in addition, furthermore, thus, therefore, however, although, etc.
- keep spelling and punctuation in mind
- work on using reporting/quantity lingo: “... skyrocketed, rose up, declined, plateaued, fell off, boomed, stabilized etc. , and know when to use them
- make comparisons, point out the most standout data
- keep it short and simple, straight to the point
- make yourself familiar with the different graphs and charts, reading maps etc.
- make sure to have an intro, body, and conclusion; generally around 4 paragraphs is good enough
- work on grammar and your vocabulary range
- your ideas that you introduce in the intro will be your body
- paraphrase the question in some way in your intro
- don’t stray off topic
- refresh your general knowledge of the world, it’ll be of good use (memorizing statistics is admirable but not always convenient)
*IMPROVEMENT
- there are many samples on the internet for you to try and test your capability, for all 4 subjects
- I personally encourage constant practice on writing samples, as the other 3 subjects i think can be improved just from reading more
- set a reading goal, can be minutes per day up to amount of books read per month
- work your way up through reading levels as fast as you are able to comprehend
- set a new vocabulary goal, using words you acquire in your lexicon through reading or listening: try to incorporate those new words into your normal daily usage
- try not to mix languages when speaking
- practice speaking English when you can, especially with people or groups of people who are already fluent
- listen when being corrected by someone with a more profound grasp of the language, it helps a lot (babies learn a whole language through constant exposure and correction from parents, therefore these two conditions are essential towards being fluent)
- learn to recognize your own mistakes and areas where you are lacking, in order to improve
- watch movies, shows, listen to podcasts, music in the English language (also helps you get used to the different nuances of separate ethnic races in the way they speak)
Placement Test
IELTS Essay Question
The growing number of overweight people is putting a strain on the health care system in an effort to deal with the health issues involved. Some people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Agree Disagree Model Essay
Owing to the problems which a growing population of overweight people cause for the health care system, some people think that the key to solving these issues is to have more sport and exercise in schools. In my opinion, I completely agree that this is the best way to tackle the issue of deteriorating public health in relation to weight.
Firstly, dealing with the issues surrounding obesity and weight problems is best solved by taking a long term approach and introducing more sport and exercise in schools. This method will ensure that the next generation will be healthier and will not have such health problems. At the moment, the average child in the West does sport possibly twice a week, which is not enough to counteract their otherwise sedentary lifestyle. However, by incorporating more sports classes into the curriculum as well as encouraging extracurricular sports activities, they will undoubtedly become fitter and more active.
Another point to consider is that having more sports lessons for children in schools will probably result in children developing an interest in exercise which might filter through to other members of their family and have a longer lasting effect. In other words, parents with sporty children are more likely to get involved in sport as a way of encouraging their children. By both parents and children being involved, it will ensure that children grow up to incorporate sport into their daily lives. This is certainly a natural and lasting way to improve public health.
In conclusion, to deal with an increasing population of unfit, overweight people, changing the lifestyle of the coming generation by introducing sport in schools is the easiest and most effective method to use.
Words = 282
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