Thread by @DrJohnAfam

This is a brief overview of the IELTS exam and a few tips to help preparation.

RT, someone on your TL needs this.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the English language ability of people who want to study or work in a country where ...

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... English is officially used as a language of communication.

It uses a nine-band scale to identify levels of expertise, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9) in 4 skills namely Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

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The exams are carried out twice a month in over 18 venues across the country, "provided" by 2 bodies (The British Council, and IDP Education) and the “slots” are often fully booked a month in advance.

The exams cost between 75-80k, depending on payment method and provider.

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All you need to register for the IELTS is your International Passport

You can check the availability and venues close to you by clicking this link
my.ieltsessentials.com/?TestCentreCod… for the IDP,

and ieltsregistration.britishcouncil.org/choose-location for British Council

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It takes about three hours to complete and has the option of being a paper-and-pencil examination or a computer based test.

there are two types of IELTS ; Academic IELTS (For Professional Work, Education) and General IELTS mostly for Emigration

For the Exam Proper, ...

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Like i mentioned, there are four sections

Speaking (First, often on a different day)
Listening
Reading
Writing - Most commonly failed

For work in the UK, Doctors require at least a 7 in all 4 and not less than 7. 5 overall. Nurses require a .5 band less.

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LISTENING
- Same pattern for General and Academic

- 4 sections made up of 10 Questions each.

-Each set of questions, would be based on an audio message that would be played only once.

-There are different types of audios, (Conversations, Lectures, Presentations,Calls)

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- Total time for the listening section is 30 minutes, with an extra 10 minutes to correct any mistakes/ fill the papers.

Tips;

- Practice a lot, there are tons of materials on youtube.
- Try practicing at faster speeds could help you ability to pick answers faster.

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READING

- General IELTS has 5-6 short passages while Academic IELTS has 3 academic passages.

-Both however have 3 sections, 40 questions in all ,

- The exam lasts one hour.

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- There are a number of ways the questions can present
(Fill the blanks , answer the question, sometimes there are word limits)

Tips:

-Do practice tests. Get the Cambridge IELTS and do all the tests there
-Hone your ability to identify keywords and topic sentences.

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SPEAKING
- Same pattern for General and Academic. It has 3 parts and lasts about 12- 14 minutes.

-Part 1 = Familiar Topics, general discussion

-Part 2 = Discuss a given topic . You would be required to speak for 3 minutes and would be given 1 minute to prepare

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-Part 3 = Deep questions about the topic discussed in part 2

Tips:
-Breathe. It really is just a conversation.
-But seriously though, practice. Have deep thoughtful conversations with your friends in English

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WRITING SECTION
- It has 2 parts known as Task 1 which lasts 20 Minutes and Task 2 which lasts 40 Minutes.

- It is different for Academic and General but the essays are however marked with a similar “marking scheme”

-Minimum length : Task 1- 150 words, Task 2 -250 words

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-This part of the exam could be tricky and is where most people fail.

Tips:

-PRACTICE!!! I cant stress this enough!! Write essays daily.
- No seriously, write essays! we post daily essays on instagram.com/tasktwowriting/. Practice daily

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- Your Essay has to have a structure. Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Conclusion

- Ensure you answer the question. If it says discuss both views, if you do not discuss both views, you would not get your band score

On a Final Note....

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1)Take practice exams for reading and listening to know your abilities.This helps you to identify and focus on your weak areas.

2)Practice writing essays daily and have them reviewed and scored. You can find sample daily essays at web.facebook.com/tasktwowriting

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3)Have an accountability partner. Someone to discuss with and share words of encouragement with. This is also someone you can practice speaking tests with.

4)There are numerous materials online on Youtube and on the Internet so please make use of them. Youtube, FB etc

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5) Join groups for people who are preparing to take the exam. Information is key and communities are the fastest way to get it.

If you do not already belong to one, you can join our facebook group by clicking web.facebook.com/groups/tasktwo…
We drop daily tips and review essays.

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Any part i left out?

Oh, I and @king_govo run an IELTS Community and we Tutor Cohorts of IELTS Test takers.

Are there any other IELTS Tutors on here?
Say Hi 😁 lets collaborate