Improve your IELTS Writing band score
- Read the questions carefully. Set yourself up for success by ensuring that you understand the question well before you start writing.
- Use paragraphs. Each paragraph should contain one idea. Make sure you break multiple ideas up into different paragraphs.
- Utilize your vocabulary. Try to avoid using the same words too much. This is your opportunity to show off your English skills. If you see a word repeating in your writing, think about what other words you could replace it with.
Improve your IELTS Reading band score
- Practice daily reading. Set aside at least 30 minutes per day to read English texts. If you don’t generally enjoy reading, try starting with some topics you are interested in before branching out to other materials.
- Mix up your reading material. Ensuring you are familiar with a variety of written texts will help you prepare for anything the IELTS throws at you. If you mainly read magazines, try some novels or newspapers.
- Practice reading strategies. You may be presented with a large block of text during your reading test. Learning reading strategies like ‘scanning’ or ‘skimming’ can help when you don’t have time to read all of the provided text.
Improve your IELTS listening band score
- Improve your active listening skills. You can do this by absorbing media made featuring native English speakers such as movies and TV shows, audiobooks or podcasts. Audiobooks and podcasts are ideal resources to practice your listening skills on the go.
- Take a practice test. Practice tests can boost your confidence and help you feel comfortable with the question formats prior to taking your official IELTS test.
- Take note of keywords. You will be able to see the questions for each recording prior to hearing them. Underline any keywords you think may be important and listen out for these (or similar words) during the recording.
Improve your IELTS speaking band score
- Practice, practice, practice! Use any opportunity you can to practise speaking English before your test. Speak English when chatting with your friends or try striking up a conversation with a native English speaker you meet.
- Speak clearly. It’s natural to speak quickly when you’re nervous, but this can cause you to make mistakes. Slow down and focus on clear pronunciation.
- Stay away from simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. This is your opportunity to show off your vocabulary and conversation skills. Think about any personal experiences or opinions you can share with the examiner that relate to the discussion topic.
- You can switch your topic angle but you can’t change the topic if you’re not familiar with the subject that is being discussed.
