funkft Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hello, I am currently in the position of having to score straight 8's in the IELTS in order to acheive the points required to migrate Can anybody tell me how likely this is - I've heard a few nightmare stories about people trying to score 8's on these tests Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizOz Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I would suggest practise practise practise. The test's aren't that hard, its knowing what to expect and how they are set up. There's loads free stuff online which you can use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieF Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi there! This will be my 3rd attempt at all 8's. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi there! This will be my 3rd attempt at all 8's. Good luck Is there anything from your experience you could offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieF Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The only advice I can give is to practice..... practise and more practise. It helps to familiarise yourself with the structure of the test. I will be attending a workshop on the 23rd to help get the all 8's, especially with the reading. Are you doing general or academic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linshorton Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I knew I must have reason to be worried about this IELTS! Has anyone passed it first time? Can anyone recommend a good website for practise? I now wish I had gone through with it in the UK but was told this wasn't always necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwgster Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi I would say practice practice and more practice also! It is as much learning about the techniques required for each section.. Also, being strict about timekeeping... No point spending 20 minutes on something that will give you minimal points. I got 7.5 in the listening section the first time around and was gutted as for me, this and the oral are the two easiest bits.. Again, I just lost my train of thought and missed where I was in the dialogue... If I had have concentrated and practiced a bit m ore, it would not have happened.. Got a 9 the second time around! I bought the book and CD from Cambridge Uni? http://www.cambridge.org/gb/elt/catalogue/subject/project/item6831987/Official-IELTS-Practice-Materials/?site_locale=en_GB Good luck Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizOz Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I knew I must have reason to be worried about this IELTS! Has anyone passed it first time? Can anyone recommend a good website for practise? I now wish I had gone through with it in the UK but was told this wasn't always necessary. I passed first time with 8.5's and 9's. It is possible, it really practise being the key. I think I did one element of the test each night after work for about 4 weeks. I found loads of help by doing google searches. Best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieF Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi linshorton There are many who have passed the first time round. English is not my first language :frown: but I'm positive that I'll get the 8's this time. Pactise, Be positive and it will all work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obxer7 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I passed first time with 9's in everything except speaking got an 8.5 in that. I bought practice books from Ebay and did all of the Reading, Listening and Writing practices before doing the test. I would practice as much as you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dredg97 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I think practicing is the key, as many suggested.. Consider I practiced a lot and scored almost 8 in all components, and English is not my first language.. So...with some practice the native speakers should be able to get the results they need.. I would have liked to take it in 'my' Italian... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemstone Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi, I passed first time with 8.5's and 9's. I was panicking that I had failed the speaking part, because I have tendency to waffle at times, hehe! However got a 9 for it. I also got the book and CD thing cant remember where it was from. It really helped to know what to expect. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylj45 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi,I'm sitting my second test on the 30th...on my first I got 8.5writing,8.5 listening,8 speaking and 6.5 reading. Needless to say I'm gutted at the reading but I did find it hard. I've practised a little for the next one but not much. Fingers crossed for us all. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linshorton Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Very interesting hearing everyone's experiences. When I first read I had to do it I ignored it as I have always spoken English, but then I read....no exceptions! The book and CD sounds good. There is a chance I may not have to do it as I keep getting different advice from the job sites. I was told I needed it to get my documents/qualifications assessed by my institute here but they have already been certified for the 457 visa which I got through my husband job. It costs $700 to get them assessed and of course there would be the costs of the English test as well and then I might not even get a job! I assume if you fail you have to pay again. Great money making scheme. Good luck to everyone, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Some great advice on here, Thanks I've fell into my usual self when having to study and pretty much avoided it I've gone through the listening sections in the cambridge book but havent really practiced any of the other elements, I'm not sure how you can practice the written and speaking elements as this will be different on the day won't it? The listening is quite easy once you get into it but I would agree with mwgster about the pitfalls of losing your concentration, its so hard to catch back up once your mind has wandered Is there a format for the points. i.e: 35 out of 40 = 8 or someting like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 The only advice I can give is to practice..... practise and more practise. It helps to familiarise yourself with the structure of the test. I will be attending a workshop on the 23rd to help get the all 8's, especially with the reading. Are you doing general or academic? General Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Tibenham Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Practice, practice, practice - best advice ever ! Also, don't try to 'overthink' things - just answer what is actually being asked. With the listening, the answers to the set questions will come in the order that they appear in the paper eg you've answered questions 1 and 2, and then notice that you have just heard the answer to question 4 - that means that you have managed to miss the answer to question 3 - it happens, it is quite easy to lose your focus. You really have to concentrate hard for the listenig paper but if you do, it's not that difficult. The reading paper can be tackled in two ways 1) read through the whole paper and then start answering the questions - you still have to flick back to the reading to ensure you have the right answer or 2) look at the questions, go back to the reading section and pick out the answer to the question. There is no need to read the whole piece if you dont want to, or if you find reading difficult and slow. The reading paper does not ask you to know the whole piece off by heart, it wants you to be able to read and find an answer to a question - an important difference. With the speaking, they are looking for sentence formation and proper grammar. When asked a question they don't want you to just reply 'yes' or 'no' - they want you to reply in a sentence. An example - "Why are you sitting your IELTS exam?" You could just reply "because I have to" - it's an answer but it's not talking/ speaking. They would prefer you to answer " I am sitting my IELTS test because I need to pass it (get good marks) in order to apply for my visa". It's all about sentence construction, being clear in your answer, answering the question asked. If you don't understand the question being asked or you can't think of anything in reply to the question asked, then tell the examiner that - there are a lot of other questions they can ask you instead. If you are in the Uk and a public library member, a lot of libraries will have IELTS practice books available - ask at the desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incata Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Hiya My husband and I scored straight 9s in everything at the first attempt. However, we spent weeks doing practise tests. We bought some books from Amazon which helped a great deal in terms of knowing what they are looking for and how to answer questions. The most helpful was practising the listening tests. One of the books we bought on grammar was excellent for helping us use different sentence structures in both the written and oral tests. If you are in certain areas amazon can do same day delivery, if not you can do a free trial of Amazon Prime which gets you next day delivery for free (remember to cancel within a month). Good luck! Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Hi,I'm sitting my second test on the 30th...on my first I got 8.5writing,8.5 listening,8 speaking and 6.5 reading. Needless to say I'm gutted at the reading but I did find it hard. I've practised a little for the next one but not much. Fingers crossed for us all. Good luck Are you taking the test in Manchester? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Practice, practice, practice - best advice ever ! Also, don't try to 'overthink' things - just answer what is actually being asked. With the listening, the answers to the set questions will come in the order that they appear in the paper eg you've answered questions 1 and 2, and then notice that you have just heard the answer to question 4 - that means that you have managed to miss the answer to question 3 - it happens, it is quite easy to lose your focus. You really have to concentrate hard for the listenig paper but if you do, it's not that difficult. The reading paper can be tackled in two ways 1) read through the whole paper and then start answering the questions - you still have to flick back to the reading to ensure you have the right answer or 2) look at the questions, go back to the reading section and pick out the answer to the question. There is no need to read the whole piece if you dont want to, or if you find reading difficult and slow. The reading paper does not ask you to know the whole piece off by heart, it wants you to be able to read and find an answer to a question - an important difference. With the speaking, they are looking for sentence formation and proper grammar. When asked a question they don't want you to just reply 'yes' or 'no' - they want you to reply in a sentence. An example - "Why are you sitting your IELTS exam?" You could just reply "because I have to" - it's an answer but it's not talking/ speaking. They would prefer you to answer " I am sitting my IELTS test because I need to pass it (get good marks) in order to apply for my visa". It's all about sentence construction, being clear in your answer, answering the question asked. If you don't understand the question being asked or you can't think of anything in reply to the question asked, then tell the examiner that - there are a lot of other questions they can ask you instead. If you are in the Uk and a public library member, a lot of libraries will have IELTS practice books available - ask at the desk. Thanks Val, that is some fantastic advice Have you any tips for the written element of the test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Simcar Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 My wife sent off for a test pack which she did at home before sitting IELTS and gained an overall score of 8, first sitting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vazagothic Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 As everyone said - practice :-) I booked two tests in advance and studied for a few days. I passed the first one, but my score wasn't good enough for my liking (8.5/7.5/8/7.5). A few weeks later I sat the 2nd one and scored 9/9/9/8.5 without doing ANY additional studying at all. The 2nd time I was definitely calmer as I knew what to expect (especially the speaking part). Also the reading/listening/writing topics were more to my liking as I read about it before (the Tunguska event), knew the subject (Underwater Robot) and could connect to it (letter to a teacher). For speaking part I had to talk about my friend I haven't seen in a while which wasn't too hard either. FYI I'm not a native speaker, though I've been living in the US for the past 11 years. I don't speak much in my native language either aside from occasional calls to my parents. Hope it helps :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylj45 Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Are you taking the test in Manchester? hi,no I'm taking it in rugby!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinkdolly31 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hi my husband did his twice at rugby and missed out by 0.5 on both times he even paid for a remark on the last test and waited 8 weeks to be told no it was marked correct that was another £60 gone so last chance he took it in Eastbourne Sussex downs college and he passed thank god they were great down there but it was a long wkend but worth it Probably his fault as he didn't revise but I think getting a full house is quite rare Good luck to you all x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 hi,no I'm taking it in rugby!! Best of luck to you - if you was in Manchester I could have copied off you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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