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, and it shows your proficiency in the English language if you want to pursue 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 a student, as 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 format:

The IELTS exam contains 4 modules:

  1. Listening: This section includes 4 sections or recordings along with 40 questions, all of which 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 a pictorial representation of the academic IELTS and a letter for general training IELTS, and the second is essay writing, which 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 attend, if you are going abroad to study; otherwise, check your work in English-speaking countries.

After getting to know the target band score, make a study plan and work accordingly. A 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 familiarize yourself 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 when 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 for 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 a 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 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 to get 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 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, the exact answers to the questions. It will definitely help you 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 further questions being skipped.
  • Work on relevancy, and try not to pay attention to all the irrelevant content. It will definitely be done when you are focused enough for 30 minutes.

Reading:

  • Start reading the written text quickly so that you get a general idea of the text. Skimming and looking for specific information that is relevant to the question will help you understand it.
  • 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, 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 both Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2 first, write keywords which you will use to make topic sentences, explain properly with examples, and organize your ideas carefully by using connectors.
  • Finish your task before the actual time, and save some extra minutes so that you can proofread whatever you have written and find any grammatical errors, repetitive words, or spelling mistakes.

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 paper 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.
  • Have English conversations with friends, relatives, or your teachers to build your confidence, which is especially useful for the 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!