IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the world’s most popular
English Language Proficiency test for higher education and immigration to an
English-speaking country.
IELTS is the recommended English proficiency test for prospective students, professionals
and immigration seekers and is trusted and recognized by a wide range of educational
institutions, employers, governments and professionals.
The IELTS test is structured and designed to measure an applicant’s proficiency in four
English language skills: IELTS Reading, IELTS Writing, IELTS Speaking and IELTS
Listening.
Breaking IELTS, especially on the first try requires a plan. The plan should include enrolling
in an IELTS online course, understanding the structure of the test and practising the required
testing skills. Therefore, the checklist for your online IELTS preparation is as follows:
Understanding Test Structure and Format
First of all, the candidate needs to know the duration of the actual test. Understanding the
IELTS structure and format of the test will give the person a perspective on the difficulty of
the test. The IELTS exam model tests you for four skills in the English language: listening,
speaking, reading and writing. The total duration of the test is approximately 2 hours and 40
minutes, excluding the Speaking section, which is held on a separate day. The order of the
test is listening, reading and writing. Speaking can be scheduled any time a week before or
after listening, reading and writing.
IELTS is predominantly available in both paper and computer-based testing. After trying the
tests in both formats, it is wise to choose the paper or computer format. It’s basically about
being comfortable reading a clock on a computer screen and being able to type at least 30
words per minute for a typing task. The speaking for both exam formats is the same, they
are held on a separate day with the interlocutor, not the computer. Need to know if you need
General IELTS or Academic IELTS? The purpose of each type and why do you need one
type and not the other?
Analyzing the Scores of the Test
The unique scoring model should be well understood to help you have a goal in mind as you
prepare. Listening and reading get a raw score of 0-40 based on the number of correct
answers to each question given 1 point. There is no negative marking and all questions are
scored equally. However, the raw score is converted to a band score between 0-9, an
example of the approximate conversion can be found on the official website.
Now the writing and speaking sections are different, unlike the listening and reading
sections, which have 40 questions each. The writing and speaking sections have a unique
criterion based on which candidates are awarded a band score of 0-9.
Action Planning
Once you understand the structure and format of the test, it’s time to decide how to plan your
practice. The IELTS exam syllabus requires general knowledge of English to be able to
develop the necessary skills according to the test structure. You can prepare yourself with
online materials or decide to enrol in online IELTS classes to help with your preparation. An
experienced and qualified teacher will make a significant difference in your test plan. Giving
yourself one to two months to prepare is ideal, but it’s best to enrol yourself with a tutor and
create a study test plan.
IELTS Preparatory Course
Your plan may be to only attend one course, but it’s important to attend the right course, the
right teacher, and understand how it can benefit you. For example, how are the lessons
taught? Group or individual sessions? Does the course include diagnostic and trial tests?
You should know before choosing the best IELTS online course.
Practice IELTS Skills
A person who may be proficient in the English language still struggles to achieve the desired
results or group score in multiple attempts. This may be because the candidate is not suited
to the skills required for the IELTS exam syllabus.
Use of Veritable Material
Most students do not know what materials they need to practice. IELTS is jointly owned and
operated by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English.
These institutions spend a lot of money and effort to make the exams their students take.
Therefore, not all reading reports or online listening tests may match the actual IELTS test
plan. I think many students practice with non-original material and do so well on real exams
that they are unpleasantly surprised when problems look different. When planning your
IELTS preparation, look for authentic resources like the IELTS test series to help you pass
the exam.