The International English Language Testing System (IELT) is the most widely accepted English test. It was created to assess the English language expertise level of non-native English speakers. The test’s scorecard comprises the photo of the individual taking the test, their date of birth, nationality, and first language.
It is accepted officially in over 9000 organizations globally as a way of measuring English language proficiency. Annually over 3 million people coming from 140 countries sit for the test.
A candidate’s main aim when taking the test is to attain the highest possible score and eliminate retaking the test later.
Getting high scores on each section can prove to be a challenging task. Preparing for the exam appropriately and having a good night’s sleep a night before the examination is the best way to prepare. However, to improve your IELT’s score, a full band, these two aren’t enough. This article explores ten things you need to do to improve your IELT’s score a full band.
Improving IELT’s Score by a full band steps
- Listen to your English daily.
This is one of the most vital steps required to advance your listening skills. Ensure you listen to native speaker every chance you get.Doing so will help you understand better how language is naturally used. The internet has multiple free resources that can play a significant role in building your listening ability.For example, while taking a bust to work, whether it’s a 10 minutes journey or it takes more than an hour, you can listen to podcasts during the trip, which will be beneficial and enjoyable. Always use your phone as an asset for IELT preparation, and this will see you improve your score significantly.
- Have a strategy
One must remember that the IELT’S test listening section comprises of various diverse questions. Each of these questions necessitates one to use different strategies as well as skills.It is thus essential that one develops their system that they can follow stepwise. Getting a strategy denotes that one knows what to do precisely in the exam room, boosting both one confidence and grade considerably. - Stop looking for shortcut tips
Most IELTS pupils have the misconception that tips and tricks can help to get a higher band. Regrettably, this mentality only wastes a person’s valuable time that could otherwise have been spent studying. Shortcut tips and tricks don’t bear any result.This belief only gives one a false sense of security, which damages one’s overall score. IELTS exams are regulated and monitored by seasoned professionals. The exam cannot be tricked; the only way one can be assured of a good score is by working for it. - Practice wisely
Ensure you complete and correct many practice papers. Although this is a beneficial task, it is essential to note that you should not just complete paper after paper.Instead, listening is also a skill needed to improve your IELT score a full band. Be wise in your testing process, and as you complete papers, also test your listening skills. Ensure consistency in this process. - Maintain your focus
It is likely that if you aren’t used to listening to English, you can lose focus quickly. This is one of the most common dangers that IELT test takers face. Losing concentrate even for a brief period can cost you the chance to achieve a high grade.For instance, if you lose your focus during the test, you could misread a question, making it difficult to think of the answer. Staying focused will ensure that you answer the questions appropriately, thus increasing your chance of getting a high band score. - Skimming and Scanning
To excel in your IELTS test, scanning and skimming are some of the needed skills. Skimming refers to reading a passage to have a general idea of the content of the passage. It is recommended that one engages in this task before they tackle a question.In IELT’S tests, all questions except one are offered as passage. It is recommended that one skims through the passage before they get to read the questions. That doesn’t mean that one should try to understand the text as they skim read it.No, it is instead a chance in which one has to get a sense of the layout and the topic. The process of skimming through the passage should take about 2 to three minutes; during the process, one should also note the keywords.
On the other hand, scanning is one’s ability to locate information quickly. When combined, skimming and scanning play a significant role in improving an individual’s IELTS scores.
- Develop your vocabulary
Lacking the appropriate vocabulary is one of the primary reasons students fail to get the scores they need. Getting to learn vocabulary is not just about knowing the meaning of a word.Instead, it revolves around knowing when one can and when they can’t use the word. It also revolves around the associations that can be used with a word, such as match nouns and verbs. Writing lists of words that include frequent paraphrases and problematic words and researching them will improve your IELT score. - Practice regularly
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Always stay engaged with native speakers, take tests both academic and GT tests, and play a crucial role in building your skills.Practice what you learn. Aiming at skill-building, learning vocabulary, and try to understand the types as well as understanding the questions, which will play a critical role as far as improving your IELT score is concerned. - Know your weaknesses
Not until you know your weaknesses, will you be able to improve. You must check the reason why you get a specific answer wrong or right. If misunderstanding the passage is why you are getting your answers wrong, you know where to begin to improve your English language.If failing to find the appropriate information in the passage is why you are getting your answers wrong, or if you ran out of time or didn’t understand the question, you should work on your strategies and techniques. Ensure you get time to review your performance. - Ensure you make proper preparation
As with all tests, you need to make appropriate preparation before sitting for your IELTS. Even native speakers need to prepare, which will help them develop the right skills and answer the different types of questions.
In conclusion, while it may prove a challenging task to excel in your IELT’s tests, the truth is that it isn’t such a hard task. All that one is needed is to follow these ten steps and get to improve their IELT’s score a full band.
