A lot of native English speakers don't take the IELTS very seriously. They think that because they speak fairly good English, the exam will be a breeze. This is not often the case.
The exam comes in four sections (Speaking, Listening, Reading & Writing). Here are a few specific tips for passing the English proficiency exam.
Speaking
The examiner is trying to see if you understand and can communicate in basic,everyday English. You won't get extra marks for using big words or for speaking in an accent. The questions will advance from simply questions (What kind of house do you live in? What kind of job do you have?) to more abstract and complex questions (What are the different ways in which people communicate? What do you think world leaders can do to pursue peace among nations?)
Be yourself. Listen carefully to the questions being asked and speak clearly. The only wrong answer is one that is not relevant to the question asked.
Listening
The listening exam is an hour long. The audio tape will play through only once, split into various topics/sections, and you have to fill in the blanks in your answer sheet as you go along.
Tips:
Practice, practice, practice. There are past questions you can find on the internet.
The tape will only play once, so be sure to have your pen/pencil poised. You will have about a minute in between sections to read ahead and to familiarize yourself with the upcoming questions.
Reading
The reading exam consists of short passages to read with questions that follow, related to each passage.
Read the instructions carefully as they vary from section to section.
Be mindful of the time and don't spend too much time on one particular section.
Find more information about the Reading questions here.
Writing
The writing exam is split into two sections. Task 1 is for a letter written in over 150 words and Task 2 is for an essay-like answer written in over 250 words.
Do not try to use big words whose spelling you are unsure of. You will have points knocked off for wrongly spelled words.
Do not ramble. Read and understand each question before you begin to write and make sure that, at the end of each section, you have answered every question asked.
Find more IELTS tips at ieltsliz.com.
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