How I prepared for IELTS

I thought I could ace the IELTS by myself without the help of an IELTS review center.  Well, too much confidence could have put me in deep water if I did.  One thing I was certain about, I need to pass the test in one take as I am in
the race against time.  You can take the IELTS as many times as you can, yet you have to pay the examination fee on every take.  So I chose to review with an experienced IELTS review center.  It was not hard to find as my agency recommended them.  Below is a brief account of how I prepared for IELTS.

Begin with a goal in mind

How much band score do you need to achieve?, is the first question you should ask yourself.  After which, you can take the initial assessment from an IELTS review center to know where your English currently ranks with the IELTS standards.  Always keep in mind about this goal as you might need to remind yourself occasionally.  It will help a lot if you write this down in a piece of paper and post it somewhere you can see everyday.  This technique worked for me on numerous occasions, might worth your try.

The initial assessment

Before enrolling, the review center required to gauge my English listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills so they can provide a suitable review regimen for me.  So I spent like an hour or two with an IELTS instructor going through the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking tests.  After which, she gave me an average score of 6.  I was terrified.  My target is to get at least a band score of 7 to get the highest points in English Proficiency.  She then walked me through what my mistakes were and suggested ways on how we could improve it.

The review schedule

Finally, I chose an online review course that gave me an equivalent of 40 hours of IELTS review and practice.
I was able to negotiate a three-times-a-week 6pm schedule as I work until 4pm, enough time for me to rest and prepare.

The classes

This part is the most interesting.  I can go into every detail as I can but the amount of information is enough to start a blog itself, however, I'll try to be brief to give you a general idea.

My 40 hours review was divided into 4 weeks of 3 meetings each week.  My first week was all about Writing, the second week was about Reading, the third week was about Listening, and the last week was for Speaking.  Each class begins with a lecture with the components of each test.  After each component, my instructor will let me answer 10-15 questions and after which we discuss the answers. This continued until we cover one test type.  I usually get plenty of home works to do for the rest of the week, the second meeting is used to discuss them, and the third meeting is about summarizing the lessons and techniques learned during the week.  If you are still bothered with your score on a particular test, you can always ask for more exercises.

The supplements

Believe me, whatever is given to you by the review center, it is never enough.  They are just enough to get you started and get acquainted with IELTS.  If you want to bring with you on the exam day a good amount of confidence that you can ace it, you have to be more resourceful.  Search the internet for IELTS blogs and websites that offers free tips and tutorials.  Those sites most likely have review materials that you can download and practice with. 

Mock tests

After four weeks of review, I took a mock IELTS test in the review center office along with other online students.  There I felt the pressure of being timed.  This is when I was able to appreciate the Speaking test as I am face to face with an examiner.  I was able to wait for my results and good enough, the review center gave me follow up classes (beyond the 40 hours I paid) to work on my low scores.

Feedbacks

Take them seriously and respectfully.  Especially when we are older than our instructor and a little confident with our skills, we tend to be defensive and refuse to admit our mistakes.  We often justify our mistakes, but hey, this is IELTS, you can either go with your way and miss your target band score, or learn from the experienced.  Whatever attitude we show during the review, the results will always show it.

Overcoming weaknesses

I find it disturbing and depressing if I let my weaknesses consume me.  I believe you feel the same.  During my review, I was particularly weak on the Reading test.  I usually get a half band score lower on this test than my average.  I accept this weakness as I am a skimmer.  I read fast and don't read each word.  I must have developed this after having been exposed to reading too much manuals at work, I tend to only read if I am looking for answers.  The Reading test taught me to be more patient and to really read, and re-read, and digest, and answer questions attentively.  It was a painful process for me but I did it anyway.

Simple yet useful tip

All of my homework and take home exercises, I did with the IELTS format.  I printed all my homework test questionnaires, printed the Writing test's writing sheet, used pencils to write my answers with, minimized erasures, and timed myself all through out.  I scheduled myself to do these practices for about a week with a goal to score as much as perfect while being time constrained.


If there's one thing I learned during my review, it is to be patient and to be determined to achieve your goals.  Setbacks are a constant, what is important is how you deal with it.

If you wish to see how my preparation worked for me, stay tuned, I will post my IELTS scores soon.

Have you taken an IELTS review?  Share your experience by leaving a comment below.

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