We all know that IELTS is pretty daunting. It’s like a life and death situation for most people, especially students who want to enter a highly competitive university. However, whether you’re planning to study abroad or to merely test your English ability, this is still a right place for you. Because I will tell you the best sources and methods I used just three months ago (coming from a person who got a Band 8 for their final result).
(Link Summary is on the lowest page.)
Speaking
Keith is a really good instructor. He offers so many in-depth videos relating to different speaking topics. Not to mention the simple yet crucial tips that he would frequently include in his teachings. I recommend going to his playlist in Youtube and look for the title you that interest you the most because some of his videos can be rather long, and let’s be real, no one has the time to complete all of that.
2. Record Yourself
This is the most effective way in practice speaking based on my personal experience. The English Speaking Success – Youtube is only best for the theoretical aspect. However, in order to be skillful in something, practice is key. This only takes about 8-15 minutes of your day. You can search IELTS speaking questions for practicing in https://ieltsliz.com/ (This website is also good for other sections).
In each of the questions, you should answer it like an actual test. I recommend focusing your eyes on something when you speak and try to imagine it as your examiner; or even better, ask someone to listen to you. This method will train your eye contact because it’s crucial in IELTS assessment.
And the very important thing is to record it. That way, you can hear yourself back and list all the things you’re not good at. For example, I was pretty bad at speaking fluently and I stuttered so many times. But by recording, I was able to notice my speaking flaws and try my best to eliminate that. I know it can be tiring to listen it all over but trust me, it’s worth it.
tip:
- You don’t have to force yourself into speaking heavy words if you’re not familiar with it. It’s more important to talk coherently while still related to the topic.
- Use synonyms when you’re talking.
Listening
Honestly, I don’t have any difficulties in Listening because I’m used to it. Habits such as watching videos religiously on Youtube in English or watching Netflix with or without the subtitles definitely helped me through the Listening test.
However, if you’re not used to listening the English language, I highly recommend practice it in https://ieltsonlinetests.com/
I’d also add that, in comparison along with other sections, many would say that Listening is the easiest section of all. So, try to aim your highest score on Listening, as it will help boost your result.
Reading
- Reading books, articles, journals, you name it.
To you non-readers, I know it must be tough for you, but you’ll be thankful for it I promise. Not only it will train your eyes to read long and wordy pages because it can be really exhausting, but it will also provide you with numerous new vocabularies. Not to mention you’ll get handful of new information that you might need in your daily life. My advice is try to read a certain topic you’re really interested in, whether it’s about fiction, conspiracies , or anything else.
2. https://ieltsonlinetests.com/
It consists a bunch of IELTS simulation tests and it’s my most used website for IELTS preparation. It has helped me so much; not only is it free, but it also offers a wide range of tests you can choose. Some of it is quite challenging in my opinion, but you can grow used to it. This website is not only for reading material, but other sections too.
tip: Don’t beat yourself up if you got a low score. Because practice scores are inconsistent, they don’t fully determine your IELTS score. Practice are meant to build you, not to tear you down.
Writing
- Udemy
Words cannot express how grateful I am to encounter Udemy. Unfortunately, it’s not free, but you can get big discounts on certain dates. If you want to get above 7 on writing, I highly recommend this Udemy course because the instructor is able to make the materials easy to comprehend. It’s a total of 7.5 hours lecture. Definitely would give this a five star.
Mastering IELTS Writing: Task 2 (Achieve Band 7+ in 7 Hours)
2. Practice, practice, practice
Again, lectures are meant to help you theoretically, so even if you purchased a Udemy course or completed an IELTS material playlist, it won’t be enough. I used to practice writing nearly each day for 2 weeks by searching “IELTS writing questions examples” in Google and writing the answers (Or you can find many great question and answer examples in https://www.ielts-practice.org/category/band-9-ielts-essays/)
Fun fact, I actually despised writing because I struggled with it a lot. However, since I built a habit on writing for IELTS, it’s actually one of the reasons that inspired me to blog.
If you decided to practice writing by yourself, I suggest you get someone capable enough to assess your answer. However, if you don’t have anyone to ask for, you can search in Google “IELTS writing correction free service”.
Link Summary
Links I use for:
Slice of Bread and Life 