Nowadays, the successful band is at the IELTS higher band range, which begins at band seven.
These higher bands are required in the IELTS exam for many professional qualifications, such as in the medical professions and dentistry not to mention academic qualifications, where the IELTS higher band seven is now frequently requested on university courses for MBAs and other postgraduate research courses. A change in Government Visa regulations also means that to gain some entry visas into Britain (and some other English speaking countries) or to extend some existing visas, it is also necessary to prove that you can pass the IELTS exam at the requisite IELTS higher band.
Now, after all your hard work on the IELTS course, it is almost time to take the IELTS Exam but what people often forget is that even native speakers will not pass the IELTS exam with a higher band just because they are native speakers.
To do well in the IELTS Test you must first practise in order to understand the format of each of the skills tested in the IELTS exam. And what better way to apply all the knowledge gained, than to buy a course of practice tests or some correction and marking of your essays. Of course, the more of these you complete, the more used to the style of the exam you will be and this will give you confidence to walk into the exam room and obtain the higher IELTS band score you need.
To pass IELTS higher, it is essential that you underpin your classroom learning with some revision and preparation:
- For the Reading Test, preparation tests and work will build on the work you have already done and increase your efficiency in analysing the reading texts, so that you can scan for content which will either enable you to insert the subheadings for each paragraph in the text with accuracy and speed or find authors of opinions easily, that you then link to questions about these opinions. Or you can read for specific information rapidly to answer either the comprehension questions or the True, False and Not Given questions more easily.
- The listening practice preparation tests focus your attention on note taking and extending your vocabulary, which enables you to complete summaries and answer listening comprehension questions, or link ideas to speakers in chosen conversations.
- The writing preparation practice tests will supply lots of ideas in the writing task one and inspire you with opinions in the task two. Remember, you can think about the many possible variations of these topics, while you have some free thinking time, for example, on the way to work or college. You can plan your writing and collect useful vocabulary and phrases for the writing topic before you attempt the task. Bear in mind that the more you plan vocabulary, linkers and expressions for the task the more able you will be to pass the IELTS test higher, with a band seven score. Consider making use of the Pass IELTS Higher Essay Assessment Service to get valuable feedback on your preparation.
- Consider these tips whilst planning your speaking tasks, too. Topics from the writing are often used in some way in the speaking exam, so any time you spend preparing for the writing task two will be invaluable in the preparation of your speaking topics.
And I will say it again, it is that important, it will help you a lot to try to include vocabulary expansion activities in your daily writing and speaking. It should be obvious to everyone, but just in case it isn’t I’ll say it here, better vocabulary will lead to better IELTS Test Band Scores.
To your IELTS success,
James
P.S. When you are preparing for IELTS, if you would like your IELTS Writing Task 2 or Task 1 essays corrected and marked by our qualified IELTS professionals, please CLICK HERE to find out more about our Essay Assessment Service.
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