Crack IELTS in First Attempt

How to Crack the IELTS Exam on First Attempt

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IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. Want to crack IELTS in the first attempt? Get expert tips, strategies, and a step-by-step guide to achieve your target band score. Preparation for the exam requires focusing on several parts of the IELTS test as this test is divided into 4 sections namely Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

The IELTS exam has been considered the most important test for several years, which shows your proficiency in the English language if you want to attain overseas education, grab work opportunities at a global level, or plan to settle in English-speaking countries permanently.

Now, clearing the IELTS exam in one go is fruitful as being a student it saves your time, and money, and takes you away from anxiety. Having very little command over the English language makes the students face difficulty cracking the IELTS test on the first attempt. Along with this, they lack consistent practice, and focused preparation, which results in attempting the IELTS test repeatedly.

Top Tips to Crack the IELTS on Your First Attempt

1. Comprehensive knowledge of the IELTS exam test format:

The IELTS exam contains 4 modules such as:

  1. Listening: This section includes 4 sections or recordings along with 40 questions, all need to be done in 40 minutes. The Listening checks your ability to understand spoken English. 
  2. Reading: The reading module comes up with 3 long passages for academic IELTS and 4 to 5 paragraphs for general training IELTS along with 40 questions, which need to be done within 60 minutes. This section checks your ability to understand written English text.
  3. Writing: The writing part contains 2 parts. First is pictorial representation for academic IELTS and letter for general training IELTS and the second is essay writing, it is the same for both academic and general training IELTS. Writing takes 60 minutes to finish. This test analyzes your writing skills, and how you can generate ideas with accurate grammar and choice of words.
  4. Speaking: The speaking part consists of part 1 i.e. questions on familiar topics, part 2 i.e. topic speaking, and part 3 i.e. discussion. The speaking test lasts for 11-14 minutes and checks your speaking skills in front of the examiner.

2. Set a Target Score and Make a Study Plan

Check your basic band score requirement by checking the websites of universities you are planning to go in if you are going abroad to study otherwise check as per your work in English-speaking countries.

After getting to know the target band score, make a study plan and work accordingly. Specific time is required to practice each module to achieve the desired band score in the IELTS exam.

3. Master Each Section with Smart Strategies

Let’s break down all 4 modules of the IELTS exam in terms of tips and tricks to clear the IELTS exam within a short span of time:

Tips for Listening:

  • You need to make yourself familiarize with a range of accents from a range of English-speaking countries, as more clarity and understanding will give you more marks.
  • Stay focused during your complete listening if you want to score high in IELTS listening.
  • Don’t forget to follow the instructions carefully, especially when there is a word limit. If the instruction is given to write ‘no more than 2 words’ then you can write 1 word or 2 words not even a single word extra.
  • Get used to different question types so that you won’t get confused to answering any question on the day of the exam.
  • Answer every question as there is no negative marking.

Tips for Reading:

  • Read the title of the passage so that you can get a brief summary of the whole paragraph.
  • Skim and scan the paragraphs which means finding general ideas and then searching the specific information according to the demand of the question.
  • Highlight keywords such as names, dates and numbers associated with the question.
  • Get in the habit of learning about synonyms as in the majority of cases, you will observe the synonyms of the word given in the question.
  • Don’t leave any questions blank. Something is better than nothing. So, if you don’t have a precise answer, do guesswork.
  • Manage your time wisely and properly so that you can complete all 40 questions.

Tips for Writing:

  • Address all parts of the question with complete explanation.
  • Manage your time precisely i.e. 20 and 40 minutes for task 1 and task 2 respectively.
  • Before commencing to write your tasks, read the instructions carefully.
  • Do brainstorming which means plan your tasks at least for 2-5 minutes before starting to write then only you can write continuously without errors.

Tips for Speaking:

  • Familiarize yourself with all the three parts of the speaking test.
  • Expand your vocabulary related to different topics.
  • Get in the habit of using a wide range of grammatical structures.
  • Make use of connectors or transitions to connect your sentences while speaking.
  • Take care of your pronunciation, it should be clear and understanding.
  • Provide clear, concise and relevant responses.
  • Build your confidence during the whole speaking test.

4. Use the Right Study Materials

Making use of the right study materials is of utmost importance to crack the IELTS exam as soon as possible.

  • Go for the most reliable and authentic resources for the preparation of the IELTS exam just like the Cambridge IELTS Series, which includes the latest exam material, and answers with detailed explanations both for the Academic and General Training IELTS exam.
  • Prefer the most visited reliable websites such as British Council, IELTS Buddy, or IELTS Liz for official materials of IELTS as these websites come with free-of-cost practice tests along with detailed explanations of answers.
  • There is availability of many IELTS practice mobile applications, which include practice tests, detailed explanations, and tips and tricks to score higher in the IELTS exam. For example, IELTS Prep by the British Council, IELTS Test Pro, and Magoosh IELTS Prep are used for getting to know recent exam practice tests.

5. Join an IELTS Coaching Program (Online or Offline)

Get enrolled in the best IELTS coaching centre in your area, which will be beneficial for you as you will learn under the guidance of IDP and British Council-certified trainers. If you do not find any appropriate IELTS institute in your local area, go for online classes to achieve your target band score.

Moreover, you will sit for the mock test once in a week and you will come to know about your weaknesses, and you will work on them accordingly.

6. Participate in a Reality Test (Mock Test)

Apart from the daily practice tests and mock tests every week, sit for the IELTS Reality Test prior to your IELTS real exam to get a real exam environment, boost your confidence, work on your deficiencies, and secure a desirable band score in the IELTS exam. Here, Abroad Gateway, located at sector 42C, Chandigarh, organizes the IELTS Reality Test every month, you can be a part of it to check your current level before your real exam.

7. Improve Time Management

Let’s learn about time management skills in the case of all 4 modules of the IELTS exam:

Listening

  • Start enhancing your ability to grab the main points or keywords by keeping in mind at one go, which are the exact answers to the questions or will definitely help you to recognize the correct answers out of many options.
  • Start making notes of symbols or initials swiftly as per the audio which gives you a hint of choosing your correct answer out of many and also saves your precious time otherwise, there are chances of the further questions being skipped.
  • Work on relevancy, try not to pay attention towards all the irrelevant content, it will be done definitely when you are focused enough for 30 minutes.

Reading

  • Start reading the written text quickly so that you get a general idea about the written text that is skimming and look for specific information that is scanning as per the demand of the question.
  • The majority of the IELTS reading questions come in sequence so as soon as you come up with the answer to the first question, you easily get the second question after that only and it goes in a flow. By giving 20 minutes to each paragraph under the guidance of well-qualified IELTS trainers, you will manage your time easily.

Writing

  • Plan your both Writing Task1 and Writing Task2 first, write keywords which you will use make topic sentences, explain properly with examples, and organize your ideas carefully by using connectors.
  • Finish your task before the actual time, save some extra minutes so that you can proofread whatever you have written and find out any grammatical errors, repetitive words, or spelling mistakes if have.

Speaking

  • The speaking section contains 3 parts: parts 1, 2 and 3. In part 2, when you are given a cue card topic to prepare for 1 minute and speak for 2 minutes, manage your time in a way that you can write all the main points on the piece of page given by the examiner in 1 minute. This will be done for sure when you get in the habit of doing this on a daily basis before you appear in your real exam.
  • You need to fulfil the demands of all the questions by maintaining fluency with coherence, effective pronunciation, no grammatical mistakes and a wide range of vocabulary.
  • Each and every question needs to be answered by wearing a smile on your face which makes you feel comfortable in front of the examiner.

8. Build Strong English Skills for Long-Term Success

  • Get in the habit of listening to English music, and watching English movies with subtitles, which will be beneficial for listening tests.
  • Read English newspapers, books, and blogs daily to enhance your comprehension skills for the reading test.
  • Make English conversations with friends, relatives or your teachers to build your confidence, especially useful for speaking test.
  • Write essays, letters, and journals to strengthen your writing skills.

9. Stay Calm and Confident on the day of the Exam

  • Don’t rush for the exam, reach the IELTS test centre on time.
  • Stay positive on the day of the exam, and don’t allow any negative thoughts to come into your mind.
  • Manage your level of anxiety by deep breathing.

Hopefully, by following the aforementioned guidelines, you can easily achieve your target score on the very first attempt.

How Abroad Gateway Can Help?

Looking to clear your IELTS exam quickly and in one go? Abroad Gateway, Chandigarh, is your ultimate destination for success! With 14+ years of experience, Abroad Gateway is the leading IELTS institute in the Tri-City, known for:

  • Personalised Coaching: One-on-one guidance tailored to your needs.
  • Expert Instructors: Proven strategies to boost your scores.
  • Comprehensive Support: Quick query resolution and prompt assistance.
  • Flexible Learning Modes: Online & offline classes for IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, and Duolingo.

Join Abroad Gateway today and secure your target band score with our productive & result-driven training!