EXCELLENCE IN THE IELTS EXAMINATION
A date next month might bring a decision of the lifetime for you. Here are the ways through which you can reap better scores in the examination.
Remember: Listening is a skill; Not a gift.
Not many of us have mastered this rare art that can take us a long way in life. The listening section in the test would demand a long span of concentration. Focus on the descriptions and details such as dates, places, opening hours etc. Don’t get confused with the different voices you hear. The recording uses several voices of different people. The background noises can be of an airport, cafe-shop, street, university lecture etc. Don’t let it distract you as that is what they exactly want. Ignore the noises and concentrate on the details.
Your Battles are your choices.
If any question is consuming too much time and effort, it would be better if you let it go. Mark it with a sign so that you could come back to it later. Do not let it lose you any mark which you can acquire for sure. Another benefit is that you can understand the context of the question after attending to several easier questions that you have answered before.
Meet A, H and S.
There are three kinds of essay topics in IELTS. They are Argument, Hidden Argument and Situation. A would require your sense of judgment where you will have to support a side in favor or against the motion suggested in the question. The H nature questions would start with “To what extent?” “In what way?”etc. S would demand your power of imagination and assumptions. There are a lot of such examples on Google for you to practice.
Always go with the standard format of Essay/Letter writing.
The standard format clearly suggests a three layered division of the general idea. It should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The main idea has to be clearly suggested in the introduction. Carry an image of the conclusion in your mind and focus the flow of words into that idea when you start writing. This will prevent you diversions of various off track ideas.
Stay in touch of the language as much as you can.
You might pick up that book from the children literature section or catch shows on international channels. Do not worry if you can’t interpret Shakespeare or Jules Verne but make sure you are exposed to the literature, music and other sources of knowledge that increase your capacity to receive various accents and understand the linguistic differences. Due to the blessing we call technology you can access a lot of newspapers and magazines that are published worldwide such as The New York Times and The Guardian. They are also available as apps to fit into your palms.