An overview of the best IELTS preparation suggestions. 

 

1. Improving your level of General English

If you are at a pre-intermediate level of English, you’re first steps should be to first try to improve your current level of English.

To get a 6.0 or above in the IELTS test, you need to be at an intermediate level of English.  So first improve your everyday reading and listening, your speaking and writing. IELTS is a difficult test and good exam strategies and lots of learning tips are not enough – you need to have good working knowledge of English too.

One of the biggest mistakes students make is to focus only on IELTS. They do lots of IELTS practice tests but they forget that improving their general English level and becoming aware of English are the best steps they can take

Here are some very effective ways I recommend to improve your general English level:

• Read as much English as you can. This will help you to build your vocabulary, and you will also see how English is used naturally.
• Record new vocabulary on flashcards. You can use these to revise new words and to test yourself. Anki is a great tool for creating flashcards online which you can later use on your phone.
• Watch films/movies and TV shows with English subtitles. You can download subtitles from sites such as Subscene and Movie Subtitles. Even better is to watch without subtitles to improve your response to hearing English.
• Write in English every day, e.g. by writing a diary, keeping a blog or communicating with an online community such as people on a Facebook group that share an interest with you. Join my Facebook Group here.
• Try the ‘shadowing’ technique. This involves repeating what someone has just said in English. This will help with pronunciation, intonation and word and sentence stress and improve your confidence!
• Find an English tutor online. They can help you to improve your writing and speaking.
• Speak English every day: create videos for social media, talk to yourself, record yourself on an app or even talk to your pet!

2. Read and listen to IELTS-style materials

I really recommend reading lots of IELTS-style texts, and listen to lots of IELTS-style audio recordings. These will help you to improve your English. You will also find out about the kinds of topics that come up in the IELTS test. It’s important to focus especially on topics related to education, health and the environment as these are topics that frequently come up in the IELTS test.

However, the best thing you can do is improve your reading speed and vocabulary in general. This means reading something that interests you in general whether that’s online or from a newspaper, book or magazine!

Here are some recommended websites:

BBC News Magazine

The Economist

The New Scientist

National Geographic

BBC Focus Magazine

The Economist Magazine

Science Daily

TED Talks

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4: The Interview Archive

3. Understand the IELTS format and process

You can prepare for the IELTS by finding out everything you can about the test and by becoming familiar with the exam format. Read through some exam preparation materials – you can find these online and in bookshops and look at YouTube for videos about the IELTS.

I’m preparing an IELTS preparation course here

You should study the exam format so you know what the test involves. Get to know the different types of questions in the exam. For writing, read some sample essays.

You can find answers to your questions here.

4. Practice – the slow way

Buy or download some IELTS practice tests. Then start to practice these tests. At first, do not worry about finishing the test ‘on time’ or doing it under exam conditions. Instead, relax and practise slowly. But be aware that not all online materials are useful or accurate. I’ve found many resources that are full of simple mistakes and spelling errors.

Try a reading test or a listening test. Think carefully about the question, think about the answer, and then check your answer in the back of the book. If you get the answer wrong, find out why. Analyse your mistakes. Learn from your mistakes.

In other words, don’t do lots of practice tests; instead, develop the skills and strategies you need to answer the questions. Train yourself, don’t test yourself. Go for quality, not quantity.

5. Find your weak areas

Identify your weak areas and try to improve them. If your weak area is writing, practise writing IELTS-style essays and try to get feedback on them. If you are weak at speaking, find a speaking partner or an IELTS tutor. You can find a IELTS feedback Service here and join a group to find a speaking partner here.

6. Build your IELTS vocabulary

To succeed in the IELTS exam, you need to have a wide vocabulary. This means having a good level of general English, but it also helps to know lots of words and phrases connected to common IELTS topics, such as education, health and the environment.

So make sure you grow your vocabulary for IELTS. Read the websites I suggested in section 2. You can also use reading and listening tests to help you learn IELTS vocabulary – simply learn the words you don’t know that you came across in these tests.

To help you learn more words quickly, I’ve created my own vocabulary list where you can learn 300 words that often come up in the IELTS test.

IELTS JONATHAN WORD LIST IELTS

7. Join an IELTS study group on Facebook

How to prepare for IELTS on social media: join an IELTS study group on Facebook. People will often share ideas and give help to each other on these groups. You can get your IELTS writing checked by someone in one of these groups and you can share information and tips with each other

Here is the link to my Facebook Group, Join, it’s free!

8. Practice – the fast way

Once you have practised some IELTS tests slowly and developed an understanding of the question types and strategies for answering, you can start to practise quickly – start to time yourself.

Good time management is essential on the IELTS test – the reason many candidates fail to get the score they need is because they don’t finish the tests in the time given. So practise timed tests – but only when you have tried the other 7 methods as well!

I hope that you found this information useful and you have taken on board some of the tips.

Jonathan