Self-Preparation for IELTS exam

IELTS Exam is an English Proficiency Test. Self-preparation for passing this test is possible, especially if a person is a native speaker of English and knows it at a level that exceeds intermediate. Passing the test is often necessary for applicants who wish to enter foreign universities, as well as those seeking to emigrate abroad, to countries where English is an official language.

What is necessary for preparation?

• Besides his willing and desire to pass IELTS exam successfully, one also needs:
• A stationary PC or laptop with stable, high-speed Internet;
• A set of useful materials for preparing for IELTS - Cambridge IELTS (8 textbooks);
• Any news radio station or television channel;
• General notebook 96 l, a simple pencil with an eraser;
• 2 - 3 hours of free time per day;
• MP3 player or smartphone, on which you want to record English-language dialogs or radio castes. 

The Plan

Before you begin preparing for the IELTS test, it is important to adequately assess your own level of English. A sense of maximalism and an overestimation of individual capabilities in this option are inappropriate, since you will have to sacrifice not only time, but also be spent on textbooks and other materials for preparation.

It often happens that a person who knows English at a level below the average wants to take a test. At the same time, he thinks that training, including reading smart books and an in-depth study of thematic materials, will help him to increase the level of knowledge and get a high result on the exam. However, in reality such hopes are often not justified, and the candidate concludes that his English is still not up to the required level.

What to do?

In order not to get an unsatisfactory result, you need to give yourself time for an in-depth study of the subject. It is recommended to practice more in conversations with English-speaking interlocutors, gain the necessary vocabulary, learn to write and speak English, as in a second native language.

To study the theory, ordinary books and materials in English, which are in abundance on the Internet, will come to the rescue. In order to consolidate the knowledge in practice regarding writing and conversation, you can join thematic interest groups; communicate with foreigners live and in the form of written messages. So, the hand will get used to the letter, and certain words and phrases formed in meaningful sentences will be remembered by themselves.

Stages of passing the IELTS test

IELTS testing consists of 4 parts:

• Listening;
• Reading;
• Writing;
• Speaking

Each stage of the exam should be prepared separately. Difficulties most often arise with writing, so you should prepare for this part of the test especially carefully. For a child who is accustomed to memorizing exam tickets, preparing for the exam will be difficult, since there is a completely different system for assessing the level of knowledge.

Listening

Listening is believed to be the easiest testing phase, which is easiest to prepare for. Preparation includes the following steps:

• Listening to radio or podcasts, such as “BBC 5”, in which airtime is mainly spent talking in English;
• View original English-language films that improve the perception of spoken foreign speech.

Candidates for IELTS testing will have the opportunity to see and familiarize themselves with the text before being read by the examiner. It should be read briefly, suggesting the questions that will be asked at this examination stage, and look for possible answers to them. It is important to be careful and be able to focus on what you read; otherwise there is a risk of missing the point.

Reading

It is important for the candidate to pass the test to learn to read not only simple texts, but also serious publications of the popular scientific style. Preparation includes re-reading text using a dictionary. During the reading, mistakes should be noted with a pencil, and when re-reading, try to avoid them.

Writing

At this stage, you need to describe the schedule and write an essay on a given topic, including a certain number of words.

Preparation for this stage is difficult, as it will require a knowledgeable person who can verify and evaluate the quality and style of writing. Ideally, this should be a teacher of the English-language faculty. It is recommended to find on the Internet and save your own templates of graphs and essays, carefully studying the structure of their description and writing. When completing a written assignment, it is important to use useful words and smart turns of speech that increase the chance of a high score. When performing the test, it is advisable to leave time for re-reading the written and correcting noticed errors.

Speaking

Prior to the interview, it is important to expand your vocabulary, learn how to correctly formulate sentences, practice answering unexpected questions, the answers to which have not been prepared in advance. It is possible to lay out cards with various topics before your eyes, get them randomly and answer on the topic.

The best solution is to find an interlocutor, real or virtual, and communicate with him in English. In the absence of such an opportunity, you can record your voice on the recorder and, subsequently, listen.

At IELTS, this testing phase lasts about a quarter of an hour; it includes:

1. Acquaintance of the candidate with the examiner, where the first tells briefly about himself.
2. Pulling a candidate with a theme card.
3. Preparation for an answer within 1 minute.
4. The answer and conversation with the examiner on the topic of oral utterance.

Preparing for the IELTS format

By completing daily tasks presented in the materials for preparing for the test, it will be possible to achieve high results. Preparation will take up to 3 hours of time per day, but in a real exam many tasks will be familiar to the candidate, it will become easier for him to navigate the material, complete tasks and answer certain questions.