Vanduex Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I randomly spoke to my local university today and I have just booked my IELTS for Thursday following a cancellation. (Speaking test tomorrow). You don't need to remind me that this is an extremely short preparation period. I am going to crack on with some 'revision' and practice tonight. But if anyone has any top tips for any of the elements then that would be fantastic. I have a degree in history and my PGCE so I would like to think I am relatively literate. Nothing lengthy, just quick yays and nays! Much appreciated!! Thanks lovely people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I randomly spoke to my local university today and I have just booked my IELTS for Thursday following a cancellation. (Speaking test tomorrow). You don't need to remind me that this is an extremely short preparation period. I am going to crack on with some 'revision' and practice tonight. But if anyone has any top tips for any of the elements then that would be fantastic. I have a degree in history and my PGCE so I would like to think I am relatively literate. Nothing lengthy, just quick yays and nays! Much appreciated!! Thanks lovely people writing: make sure your essay has intro middle and end! Work out how many words approx per line to make sure you hit required word count. letter :make sure you cover all points in question reading: I read question first then skimmed text, get a feel of what the paragraphs are saying speaking is really easy it's all about fluency and whether you can have a conversation it was bizarre and quite funny e.g I got asked who bought my clothes as a child!! listening do not let your mind wander!!! Listen carefully! All I can say about that! Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgyver Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Aren't you all native English speakers? Why do you need to sit for IELTS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsr1976 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I would agree.. Listening - very easy to lose concentration, I know I did! I found a technical drawing with labels quite tricky. Reading - I swore I got everything correct but didn't :-( check, check and check again! Also keep an eye on the time! Writing - I got my top marks in but the subject appealed to me! Start with a good intro to set up the subject, have a few (I did 5) paragraphs with clear points and then a summary paragraph. Speaking - very very odd, I was asked when was I last angry ( kind of fabricated an incident with the garage!!) I did lost of the tests online to give me a clue as to the set up but it's nerves really that came into play with me... I suddenly remembered being in the exam room at school!! Good luck, stay calm and think what's the worst that can happen... That helped me deal with the idea that everything hinged on this test because it doesn't you can always do it again! Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scrumpy Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Listening just dont let your mind wonder, its so easy at the start, so easy to get complacement Reading, just find that answers and re-enforce your answer by checking, on the given, not given, dont use common sense, again re-read Speaking and writing, do not use words you are not 100% how to pronounce or spell, try and not to repeat the same word, think of alternatives What score do you need?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinaisrar Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 speaking, just speak as u would normally keep the ums and ars to a minimum reading, skim reading is best i can say, dont spend ages on 1 if u cant find it come back last minute, its surprising how the time flys. listening keep eye on the paper as there speaking concentration is essential keep mind clear. writing, use the question as intro but reword, middle section try to have 2 paragraphs and conclusion, add up words as u go along and only use words you fully understand and can spell. Also try not to repeat words use variation to show you have varied knowledge. Mostly just relax take in water in clear bottle only and relax............oh and look at ryan ielts on youtube he gives some great tips especially around writing which is where most people including native writers of the language lose marks. Good luck x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 You are all great!!! Thank you. Got some key points from all the replies. I need a level 7 for 10 points I think. Fingers crossed. I am going to look over some tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Did a practice. Took 33 minutes out of the hour and I think I scored a 7.5. Fingers crossed that is going to be a strong starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacticenurse Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 It's reading that got me! (Twice) I ran out of time and guessed a few towards the end.. I missed out on half a point..! The 60 mins really does fly, and I really struggle to read through anything when it's boring or I have no knowledge on the subject! I've got my 3rd attempt in just under 2wks! :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clairebear82 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 one tip for the reading that I found useful...... Don't get caught out on the true/false/not given (or Yes/No/Not given) questions - they can easily trip you up I know this will sound obvious but this is essential for these questions... Yes/True - You must be able to find a comparable phrase in the text. It must agree with the statement! you should be able to identify the key words in both the statement and the text. The sentences will have the exact same meaning for example the statement might say - Some English people need to sit the IELTS exam the text would say something like - a selection of people from England are required to take the IELTS test some = selection English people = people from England Need = required If you identify the statement, but the words have a different meaning, then it will be false eg if the statement read ALL people from England........ This is FALSE!! If you cannot identify a statement in the text that is either the same meaning, or the exact opposite, then the answer is Not Given. - do not make assumptions about the meaning of the text. so the text might say 'people should be able to show they can write in english' - Do not assume this means they need to take the test! it is simply not given! Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacticenurse Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 one tip for the reading that I found useful......Don't get caught out on the true/false/not given (or Yes/No/Not given) questions - they can easily trip you up I know this will sound obvious but this is essential for these questions... Yes/True - You must be able to find a comparable phrase in the text. It must agree with the statement! you should be able to identify the key words in both the statement and the text. The sentences will have the exact same meaning for example the statement might say - Some English people need to sit the IELTS exam the text would say something like - a selection of people from England are required to take the IELTS test some = selection English people = people from England Need = required If you identify the statement, but the words have a different meaning, then it will be false eg if the statement read ALL people from England........ This is FALSE!! If you cannot identify a statement in the text that is either the same meaning, or the exact opposite, then the answer is Not Given. - do not make assumptions about the meaning of the text. so the text might say 'people should be able to show they can write in english' - Do not assume this means they need to take the test! it is simply not given! Hope that helps! Good advice & tips! Thanks :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Some really good stuff. The True/False messed me up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Good Luck for your test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Thank you. I am in the 'waiting room'. Turned up an hour early :-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Ok, so I have done the speaking test. Topics I had to discuss included the seaside, trees and also the positives and negatives of travelling by sea. It was ok. Native speakers should be fine if you can feign a little enthusiasm. The 'talk for 1-2 minutes is a little tricky as you pack so much info in at a rapid speed in comparison with a non native who is always thinking and processing. Just thought I would share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Hi! My husband did the IELTS, and he would agree with the advice on the reading aspect. He has a BA, MSc and PGCE, but still did at least a whole week's online practice, as there was so much pressure on him to get maximum points. He found that he could read too much in to the questions, rather than 'say what you see' !! He did brilliantly, and it was a real relief when the results came through! Good luck! :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Awesome results there Del!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Well done for today and Good luck tomorrow!!! Look forward to hearing your results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKM312 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 This post has been so helpful as I have got my IELTS on 7th September and starting to worry that I might mess it up. Well done on the speaking today and good luck for tomorrow. Look forward to hearing how you do. karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Speaking - Pretty simple, just talk clearly and be enthusiastic regardless of weird questions - Also I would use the minute preparation time to write down several bullet points. I had 4. did them in 30 seconds and had to adlib from there. Was ok but could have been more effiecient. Listening - Also think this is quite simple, it is well scaled. Starts very very easily but by the end there is a lot of paraphrasing and my test was much quicker than all the practice tests I have done. I had to answer 3 boxes in no time at all. Reading - Clarebear has covered this and that guidance is invaluable. Still struggled with the test. I had a lot of spare time so effectively did it twice and I was talking myself out of answers. Unsure on my mark for this one. I found the general statements section the toughest. E.g Paragraph four says A B C D. I thought it said A B and D - had to follow advice and go back to basics. Writing - Easy on the face of it but have I left feeling confident? Not sure. I covered all the main points and I past the word counts by 100 each. I keept it short. Non native speakers were filling answer booklets all over the place. But I did my intro, point, evidence, conclusion and left it there for task two. Filled my one book exactly. Task one I analysed the data and explained what it showed. I did (I probably shouldn't have) explained why some of this information may have showed what it did. Stay on task more is my advice on that. This is all for the academic paper. Plus I have only just done it so who knows if any of what I have said is correct!!!! Good luck everyone, especially MKM on the 7th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Aren't you all native English speakers? Why do you need to sit for IELTS? I'm a native English speaker but for my skills assessment I had to do an academic IELTS test with a minimum of 7 in each category. Some people don't need to do it for an assessment but do it for extra points. You get 10 extra points for 7's or above and 20 extra points for 8's and above. Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgyver Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 thanks, travelchick, for picking up my question and replying to it. it got lost among other posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilldesp Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Great thanks for that!! X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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