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Basic guidelines for effective IELTS study.

  by Terry Peck
 
   
Read the text and answer the IELTS-style questions
for each of the ten Sections below.*
 
 Can you get a score of 40?
   
   

 * of course, IELTS reading test passages do not include this topic!


WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET available for printing here:

Answer sheet

A student who bought our IELTS books (and scored 8 in her IELTS test) suggested that I make available to others the same general advice I gave her over a period of approximately two months.

I have the opportunity to assist many students with their study, and most, but not all, understand why I give this advice. There are some I cannot help because they
are really looking for a magic wand that will turn them into English professionals inside a week! Most students, however, are smart and realise that effective study takes more than a little time and, of course, some hard work.

Nonetheless, even the most diligent students sometimes make choices that prevent them doing their best in this challenging test.

These basic "rules" are what I believe constitute the most effective way to prepare for IELTS:


A. Choose your materials wisely.

     


It has to be the most important advice I can give, and not just because we sell some of the most comprehensive IELTS materials on the internet!

Too often students come to me with strange books they have purchased and studied from (some of them even look like comic books these days), or tell me about practice tests they have downloaded for free from the internet (oh dear, some of them even have questions written in English that I can't understand!), or cheap eBook .pdf pamphlets they have bought. This is not the way to study for a major test that can change your life. Even when they spend good money, they can fail to score well.

And they ask me why.

Usually, it is because the materials they use are not the best they could have chosen. Most knowledgeable publishers don't only recommend their own publications. They recognise the strengths of other authors. There are some very good IELTS books on sale these days – but maybe fewer than you think.

Basically, buy IELTS books originally written for the English market, by native English-speaking teachers with a good deal of IELTS experience, and published by respected international publishing companies that know what they are doing.

Avoid eBook publications that are not also published in book form (it takes a lot more effort than these marketers are prepared to make!). There are good reasons for this: they usually contain information that is either incorrect, or taken from good books but not explained well or given within the original context.

Avoid websites that advertise aggressively and make stupid claims such as giving guarantees of easy success without hard work etc. Avoid website publications that look like marketing scams. The sort of web marketing pages I am referring to are those that are selling IELTS practice like diet or gambling systems and get-rich-quick schemes. They only want your money. They are not teachers; they are marketing experts.

The idea that you can summarise a valuable textbook and expect the summary to have the same beneficial effect as the original is false. It just makes money for the scammer. They get rich; you fail the test.

If you can finish a tips "book" in an hour or two, what lasting value is there in that? Tips can be useful, yes, but they are just tips after all. For IELTS prep you need meat and vegetables, not just ice-cream.

Books from the major book publishers – including ours – contain all you will ever need to know about IELTS, written in ways that help you without so-called shortcuts. There are no shortcuts.



TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

1. Free practice tests are useless.
2. Most published books are useful for IELTS study.
3. EBooks are not effective for IELTS study.
4. Beware of IELTS materials sold to you with claims
that cannot possibly be true for everyone.
5. Summaries of textbooks can be more valuable than the original books.
6. IELTS tips have little value.




B. Choose your teacher wisely.

    


You do need a teacher. Some websites suggest that you should study by yourself. Of course you can! But you won't necessarily succeed. In fact, they are wrong to say that this is the preferred way to study.

Yes, you can study books by yourself, but I strongly recommend that you also seek professional help as well – especially if you have taken the test before and failed to get the score you require.

You need a good teacher who understands what the IELTS test is asking of you. You need a teacher who understands what you are doing right as well as what you are doing wrong.

Above all, you should to try to seek help from an IELTS teacher who is a native English speaker if at all possible.

Yes, you can learn a great deal of English from non-native English-speaking teachers, especially in bilingual environments. But when it comes to high level IELTS preparation, in the main, you also need advice from teachers who understand in great detail the way English people think and write.



SENTENCE COMPLETION
(ANSWER WITH A MAXIMUM OF THREE WORDS.)

7. Students who are taking IELTS again need a
.
8. Good teachers understand what you know and
what you .
9. When doing IELTS prep, get advice from teachers
who are .
10. Non-native English-speaking teachers are, nonetheless,
effective in .




C. Give yourself time to study.

    


It is a shame that so many students give themselves only a month or less to prepare for the test. Of course, some of you have no choice.

But if you are to improve by one overall Band Score level or more, it can only happen if you give yourself sufficient time. At least three months for most candidates – which is why we allow up to three months of study in our Online Course.

OK. A few of you will only need a short time to refresh what you already know – that is fine – and to practise with a test or two to give you confidence (use good tests, please!).

But the majority of students I meet who failed to get their desired score simply did not give themselves enough study time to improve.

Please do.



SUMMARY COMPLETION
(COMPLETE THE SUMMARY OF SECTION C WITH WORDS AND PHRASES FROM THE BOX. YOU WILL NOT USE ALL THE WORDS AND PHRASES. USE EACH WORD OR PHRASE ONCE ONLY)

avoidable       time       studies       well       an overall Band

three months       short time       most students       badly

least time       unavoidable       good tests       high score

 

Too few students give themselves (11) to study for the test. Sometimes, this is (12) , but it is one of the reasons for failing to expand your level by (13) . It can take up to (14) of study to achieve this. There are some students who only need a (15) to review their knowledge, but (16) need to take more time in order to score (17) .




D. Use your time wisely.

    


You can give yourself all the time in the world and still not achieve your goals if you spend your time unwisely. How so?

Answer truthfully (!):

Basically, arm yourself with the best study materials you can, set aside a few hours every day – preferably at the same time, and patiently apply yourself to the work involved.

Make notes as you study. If there is anything you are unsure of, highlight it for later use. Ask someone you trust to explain what the problem is.

If you can, work with a buddy – someone who is also taking IELTS soon. If you choose to take an IELTS course in a classroom with a tutor, insist on being given a trial session. You'll soon know if that tutor is worth the money!



MULTIPLE CHOICE
(CHOOSE THE CORRECT LETTER FROM A-D.)

18. Studying for a long time

      A  always helps you score well in IELTS.
      B  is necessary if you study wisely.
      C  is not necessary.
      D  does not guarantee success.
   
   
19. Downloading IELTS material

      A  is dangerous.
      B  is wrong.
      C  is illegal.
      D  none of the above
   
   
20. Free IELTS materials

      A  cannot be trusted.
      B  are a waste of time.
      C  cannot compare to published material.
      D  all of the above
   
   
21. Successful study requires you to

      A  apply yourself regularly to your work.
      B  be a patient.
      C  buy expensive books.
      D  all of the above
   
   
22. You are advised to

      A  be a good friend to someone taking IELTS.
      B  study in an IELTS class.
      C  show your notes to your tutor.
      D  assess a class before enrolling.




E. Don't believe all you read about IELTS study.

    


Firstly, if what you have read or heard hasn't at some stage been published in a book and sold in a bookshop, then it probably isn't true. Even opinions that I, too, have given online and to students over the many years I have been involved in IELTS are only opinions. Who do you trust?

Secondly, you can't please everyone. Some people will not believe what is true about studying for IELTS, said by me or anyone else. Some students have disagreed with me in the past – and that's OK. For instance, one or two students have insisted IELTS was an easy test to score high marks in because they did well on their first try. Easy for them, perhaps, but let's try to be fair to everyone. Still, they are entitled to their point of view.

I've had a few differences of opinion with certain teachers, too (some seem to just like argument), but there are many others I have debated with that I seriously wish would write a book and teach me all they know. We might not always agree about everything – but that's OK, too.

What I am getting at is, learn to trust yourself.

Just because someone says something online, doesn't make it true. And just because a self-appointed authority on IELTS says something, it doesn't necessarily mean you should believe it.

In the end, you are the one taking the test. If you are wise, you will not believe all the advice you are given or offers that are too good to be true.

Let me give you some real-life examples:

A marketer on the 'net tells you there is advice she can sell you about IELTS that PROMISES to get you ready to sit the test in just one month or less. Duh! How can that be the case for everybody – which is what such a promise implies – even though it may be possible for a select few? Ready to do well? How can anyone know this? More likely ready to fail a very expensive test. The advertisements also claim that you can "easily get...Band 8, even Band 9". Yeah, right. They are saying more about YOUR EXISTING ENGLISH LEVEL than any materials they have to offer. Of course, some candidates do get 8, even 9 – but to suggest these scores will be easy for all with their help is deceptive and misleading.

Another site guarantees you will "pass": you can study their course forever until you do. But, ask yourself, why would you want to?

(These are examples taken from existing websites apparently popular with students. Popularity isn't the problem. Peddling false hope is.)

Is it ethical to make such dubious claims? Well, I believe it's becoming quite an issue. Genuine and properly trained IELTS teachers will never say such things in the hope of selling you a few pages of tips.

Another example: a teacher claims that Writing Test answers can be constructed using pre-written sentences inserted into your essays – essays for any given topic! Duh? Do you think examiners are so stupid that they can't immediately tell if you have done this?

Should you believe everything you read or are told about IELTS study? Do you? I think not.



MATCHING STATEMENTS
(MATCH EACH STATEMENT WITH THE PERSON OR PERSONS IT DESCRIBES.
YOU WILL NOT USE ALL OF THE ITEMS AND YOU MAY USE AN ITEM MORE THAN ONCE.)

          I.        Major book publishers
          II.       IELTS course operators
          III.      IELTS examiners
          IV.     High level students
          V.      Sensible students
          VI.     Good IELTS teachers
          VII.    Marketing experts
          VIII.   The author of the passage

 

23. ...cannot be tricked by students wishing to get a
   high score.
24. ...may not be the best judges of IELTS test difficulty.
25. ...can generally be trusted to publish useful and
   truthful information.
26. ...form their own decisions about whom to believe.
27. ...should not guarantee success to all enrollees.
28. ...are wary of over-hyped and dubious claims made
   on the internet.




F. Study ALL four parts of the test.

    


When you do IELTS prep I think it is essential to study all four macro skills being tested. Just because you scored well last time in IELTS except for writing, it shouldn't mean you exclude listening, reading and speaking from your study this time around.

Concentrate on your weaknesses certainly, but not entirely on your weakest areas.



NOTE COMPLETION
(COMPLETE THE NOTES BELOW WITH WORDS AND PHRASES FROM SECTION F ABOVE. USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS FOR EACH ANSWER.)

29. Students who scored poorly in reading and writing, should also study
for their second attempt.
30. The writer believes you should still spend more time on
.




G. Don't forget to take a break.

    


Effective study means allowing your subconscious time to absorb what you have learnt. Every few hours and every few days take a break.

Don't cram for the exam!



YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

31. Your subconscious processes what you study.
32. Too much study all at once is advisable as long as you remember to take breaks.




H. Don't only take practice tests.

    


Practice tests are an essential part of your study plan. But they are not always useful. In fact, for some students taking practice tests can be the worst thing they can do. But at the right time, they can be the best thing.

A lot depends on you and your level of English.

What is the point of taking a practice test if your level of English is so low that you cannot, for example, read fast enough to answer most of the reading test questions, or write well enough to answer both writing tasks using complete sentences and full stops?

In this case, you should be studying general English, and learning and/or reviewing grammar and basic writing principles, which is always useful practice. You should not be studying by taking tests, even good tests – at least not yet.

Of course, there is no harm in trying out a test to find out how far you have yet to go, but I know students who will ONLY take tests and ask for tests alone – as if tests can teach them something.

Yes, a good test can teach you essential things, but only if you are ready to learn – and I mean really ready, not just willing.



TABLE COMPLETION

  Practice Tests general English study
higher level students useful useful
lower level students 33. 34.




I. Find out WHY you made your errors.

    


A test isn't much use unless you know why you made an error. There are detailed notes available for all our tests – and, of course, students and customers of ours can always ask us at any time why an answer is or is not correct.

But you also have to remember that you made a particular error or errors. That is why you must make detailed notes.

Many marks are lost because students make the same mistakes over and over again. Sometimes this is unavoidable (article errors, for instance, are often very hard to escape even after many years of practice), but many errors can be avoided if you pay attention.

Never be afraid to ask about an error!



MULTIPLE CHOICE
(CHOOSE THE THREE CORRECT LETTERS FROM A-F.)

35 – 37. Error analysis

               A  is an important part of test practice.
               B  is only worthwhile if you learn from your mistakes.
               C  is difficult.
               D  guarantees success if you make mistakes.
               E  is unlikely to produce results for use of articles.
               F  is best undertaken by compiling notes.

Answers:





J. Don't give up!

    


Since we have faith in you – and we do – you should have faith in yourself.

I am not going to write that everyone who studies from our books and CDs (or any material, for that matter) will definitely "pass" the test (i.e. get the score they need). That would be untrue.

But it is such a pleasure to read that a student has finally done it! Congratulations!

It happens again and again that happy students write to us and say they have scored well this time, and can now move on to the next stage of their lives.

Here's a fellow who wrote to me only the other day.

Dear Terry,

Wish you a pleasant day.

I received my IELTS score last week and I got an 8 overall along with 8 in each of the 4 modules. Thanks to your help, I was able to achieve this.

A.O.


Our advice is only part of that success story.

Most of our candidates' success is due to their hard work and realistic expectations; they avoid spending too much time on websites that make false promises and eventually weaken their confidence; and...

...they do not give up easily! Good work!



YES / NO / NOT MENTIONED
(DO THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS AGREE WITH THE VIEWS OF THE WRITER EXPRESSED IN SECTION J?)

38. Everyone can get a good mark in IELTS if they are persistent.
39. A good IELTS score is essential for obtaining success in life.
40. You can only expect the success that is possible for you to achieve.


Answers available here:

Error analysis available here:

 


Now, I haven't given you any advice that is unusual or a secret. And I haven't gone into any detail about study habits. You can always Google "effective study habits" if you feel you need a complete solution (e.g. http://www.studygs.net/attmot4.htm).

Most of the above advice is common sense, but not always followed. Yet it is essential to help you succeed. In fact, if you do follow this advice, you are almost certain to succeed in the end.

Some students need more time than others. Some students have higher levels of English before they begin their IELTS preparation. But all students can succeed if they take sensible advice.

Good luck!