robbothejoiner Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Got my IELTS tomorrow. Can't say that I am, in any way what so ever excited about the prospect. Any last minute advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani251 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Hey mate - pay close attention in the first test, which is the listening...don't lose concentration for even a moment! Once you've got that out of your hair and you're confident you caught the answers, you'll be charged up to get the rest of the day over with! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbothejoiner Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks for that. Think I have went about this the wrong way. I am getting the vibe that I should have done my carpenter Vetassess first, but too late to do anything about that now. I'll worry about that if I can get passed the IELTS. I think 7's are required for the 10 points I need. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani251 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 No probs! I think it's good to get them done together..I'm still waiting on my vetassess results! Best to get them both out of the way..:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemilkymoos Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Keep talking in the verbal assesment! Might seems like an obvious statement but the examiner has a specific time to fill on the tape and it feels kinda un-natural to rabbit on so much! Elaborate on each question you are asked! I found this the most uncomfortable part of the IELTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbothejoiner Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks for that. I can talk for Britain. My concern is that I talk too much! Can't believe how nervous I am about this. Thanks again, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemilkymoos Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Dont be nervous man, get composed and listen, listen, listen! Think about each part of the sentence or article, simplify it in your own head and you will be grand! This test is designed to weed out people with bad english language ability! If you are a native english speaker, take your time and you will be fine! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwgster Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Got my IELTS tomorrow. Can't say that I am, in any way what so ever excited about the prospect. Any last minute advice would be greatly appreciated. Hey I would agree with Dani251. Really conecentrate on the listening test.. The first time I did the IELTS, my mind started to wonder, thinking about surfing in Oz etc... It cost me the half a point I needed to get 8 or more in all 4 categories! Didn't make the same mistake the second time! The other thing I would suggest is that you are strict on your time keeping, especially for the written exam. If there is an hour allocated for 2 questions, 20 & 40 marks respectively, then only spend 20-25 min on the first question... Good luck martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani251 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Ditto that, good luck man, you'll be fine...keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyH78 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Judging from your written posts you won't have any problem at all. If English is your first language, then as long you don't swicth off listening, it realy is very very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochie Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Does anyone know what you can do once you've finished the exam? Can you raise you hand, hand in the paper then walk out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Goochie all the best - here are some very quick tips: Listening: be very focussed - you only get to hear stuff once. Make sure that you highlight key points and have a quick read through the question - i.e. where the blanks are - in what context are they talking about. It is the first section and you will probably be quite nervous at this point. Concentrate and its fairly predictable what they going to talk about. Reading: plenty of time for this. Highlight the text and read it through carefully. The sections start easy but by the end the passage can be a little tricky. For a non-native English speaker I imagine this section would be the hardest. Plenty of time for this and you can re-read to your hearts content. Writing: make sure your sentence structure is good and you have brushed up on punctuation/grammer etc. Keep sentence structures simple. Be concise and don't go majorly over recommended word counts. Speaking: if English is first language - then I can't see how anybody who has spoken it their whole life should not get band 9 i.e. fluent. Best wishes - and stay calm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Goochie I think you have to stay in until the end of the exam. Nobody left early - i used all of the time. I did the test in Adelaide, the examiners were strict, gave clear instructions at the start. They really were little Hitlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Great tips on here - time keeping and concentration. As a native speaker its more about mastering the exam format - getting bands 7/8+ should be a formality. I have degrees, a levels, done research. I treated it with ultimate respect - I thought its probably how a premier league team should treat league 1 opposition - be professional, prepare and it should take care of itself. Or if you don't you will know how Arsenal felt all those years ago against Wrexham! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbothejoiner Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks for that. On that point. Can you take notes whilst listening? My wife often says I have an awful memory, although it is usually selective memory loss on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 you can take notes - but to be honest you dont have a lot of time and the info comes out quite fast. my best advice would be read the passage and put the gaps into a rough context. you may have an idea what they are getting out. sometimes the word in the gaps simply fits - you will see. where u taking the test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbothejoiner Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks, University of Glasgow is where my fate lies tomorrow. I am trying my best to look forward to this but I just cannot. I'll let you know in a fortnight how it went. Thanks everyone for taking the time and effort to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Robbo - don't get too worried - worst case its not a pass/fail so don't feel too bad whatever result you achieve. And plenty of people on here have taken it here more than once. Fingers crossed for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyotikhtr Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Dear All, Can we use pencils in the written section ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest59652 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Not sure if you can use pencil or pen - can't remember - I remember the instructions were very clear. Additionally you can always ask the dragons, ....sorry the invigilators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbothejoiner Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 You were right the first time! Dragons it was! lol. Went not too badly! Fingers crossed, and thanks everyone! 10am start, Listening first - Topic was shopping for barbacues then travel agents for holiday. Reading next - Extract info from box adverts and secondly from short story on psychology of sheep. Writing followed - A complaint letter to public transport company (no addresses required and 150 words) and then a report on whether science should be compulsory at school level. Show both sides and give your own views. (250 words) Note: There is no breaks between the first three tests. Raise your hand for toilet etc. Strictly no speking. 1:30 Break time until called for speaking section. You will be informed of your time on notice board outside hall. Alphabetically I regret to inform you. I was stone last at 4pm, having the surname Young. As usual. lol Fortunately I took my van and live 20 minutes away. Listening was a one to one. Recorded on a dictaphone. Intro is short and friendly. Where am I from? Then, what is "Glasgow" like to live in? A couple of minutes. Then asked. What do you think of "noise"? Then asked, what is your favourite noise? another couple of minutes on both. Then asked what I thought about advertising on TV. Is it too much/should it be regulated by the government! And finally on TV. Which TV program do you watch that has taught you something? You have a couple of minute prep time for that, last question. Totalled about 17 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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