The IELTS exam is basically the most prominent English Language proficiency test in the world. Having your dream university in mind, you must have found out that the IELTS exam is one major criterion to secure admission to this school. But the turbulent question that often rises up is how to prepare for the IELTS exam. Students often deliberate if enrolling in a coaching institute is better than preparing at home for the IELTS exam by themselves.
One of the challenges they have is not being certain if they will get a good IELTS practice test to study at home. Well, you don’t necessarily have to spend a huge amount of money getting a coach. Because with strict planning and a deep understanding of the structure of the IELTS test, you can definitely prepare for IELTS at home.
Here is a designed tip on how to prepare for the IELTS exam at home.
When to Start Preparing for IELTS Exam at Home
As IELTS is one major requirement for university admission, it is important you know when to start preparing for the IELTS exam at home. Also, How long should one prepare for these exams? When is the best time to write the exam?
It is important to note that the IELTS exam has a validity of 2 years, unlike the GMAT or GRE score which ranges from 5 years. Frankly, the validity of the IELTS exam is of great importance, especially for international students who want to study abroad. This is because the normal time for international students planning on studying abroad to when they actually get abroad is 18 months.
Also, for some specific courses, they will require you to prove some level of English language proficiency and provide the score for visa purposes. Equally, for the admission process, most universities will require that your scores be ready at least 12 months to 8 months ahead of the proposed time for the admission intake.
On the other hand, for the visa process, they will require the IELTS score only when you are applying for a visa which mostly is 4 months before the process begins.
So it’s important you understand when each of these processes will require the IELTS scores. Hence, we recommend that you make the scores ready before the intended sessions. This is in a bid to provide the applicants with the option of applying to various schools across different countries for the duration of the score.
However, if the course you are applying for does not necessarily need the IELTS score, but you need it for visa purposes. Then we suggest that you suspend writing it but start preparing for it when you start the application process.
Finally, we advise that the best time to start preparing for an IELTS exam at home should be 3 months before your exam date. Though on neutral ground, the day you start preparing to study abroad or go abroad should be the right time to start preparing.
How To Prepare for IELTS Exam at Home
No matter the destination you choose to write the IELTS exam, either at home or in a test center, it is important that you prepare for it very well. Following these steps on how to effectively prepare for the IELTS exam at home will ace you in the exam.
Step #1: Create a Study Plan
From my own point of view, I would say before getting a study material, it’s expedient you plan or draft out a study schedule. This is because, when preparing for a big and important exam like IELTS, time management is necessary.
It has been proven that anxiety and stress do not contribute well to retaining information in the brain. That is why creating a study plan that will balance with your schedule and must work for you is the first thing you should do.
Precisely, it is important you stick to this plan as much as possible throughout your study period.
Also, make sure your study plan includes all the elements of the test. In the writing, reading, speaking sections that the practice test will require, make sure you don’t leave any stone unturned.
You Should Also Check TOEFL vs IELTS: Which Is More Accepted To Study Abroad?
Step #2: Understand the Test Format
Basically, the IELTS exam is available to candidates in two major formats; IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. It is important to know that the two different formats of the IELTS examination serve different purposes.
Also, the main focus of the IELTS exam is to provide a reasonable and accurate assessment of the four language skills namely listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
IELTS Academic: The IELTS Academic is for candidates who want to apply for higher education or professional registration.
IELTS General Training: The IELTS General Training is for those candidates who want to migrate to Australia, Canada, and the UK or apply for secondary education, training programs, and work in Engish speaking countries.
As earlier mentioned, the IELTS Test pattern consists of four modules:
Listening Reading Writing Speaking
| Skill | IELTS Test Description | No. of Questions / Total Duration (mins) |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Syllabus | The reading module consists of three passages of general interest. | Questions: 40 Duration: 30 mins |
| Writing Syllabus | This module consists of providing information in your own words. | Questions: 02 Duration: 60mins |
| Listening Syllabus | This module consists of a conversation on different topics. | Questions: 40 Duration: 30mins |
| Speaking Syllabus | This module consists of testing your general speaking skills. | Questions: 03 Duration: 11-14 mins |
For a candidate to make it in their IELTS sample papers, they should be familiar with the latest IELTS syllabus. And also should be aware of the latest test format to be able to perform well in their English examination.
Step #3: Use the IELTS Practice Test
Preparing for the IELTS exam by using a reliable practice test will give you an edge in your score. This means candidates who use the practice test will end up solving many IELTS practice tests as possible. This will grant you the privilege to be able to perform well in their exam.
For this reason, it is advisable for candidates to use the IELTS practice study material that is available on the official IELTS website. In order to make them very familiar with the latest test format, as well as to experience the different types of tasks.
Indeed, IELTS practice tests help candidates to make their performance better before taking the exam. there are other reasons why you should take an IELTS Practice test, and it is stated below:
Why You Should Take An IELTS Practice Test At Home
Having stated some of the reasons why you should study and take an IELTS practice test above, we will be highlighting other reasons here.
Just as you know, they say, “practice makes a man perfect” in that same manner, solving many of the IELTS Practice Tests will get you closer to performing well in the IELTS exam.
This is because, taking an IELTS exam is quite expensive, so it’s necessary that you ace it in your first attempt, as it will save you a lot of costs. Moreover, most students are not always very confident with their English communication skills, hence, attempting IELTS Practice Tests will definitely make you better.
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How to Take an IELTS Practice Test at Home
Taking the IELTS Practice Test is quite simple if you follow these steps.
All interested candidates can either sit for the IELTS Practice Test online or download the Practice Test and solve the paper. If you are taking it online, you have to do it at your own pace because you will be given a duration that is the same as the normal exam.
Hence it is important you time yourself and then follow the guidelines to get the actual feel of how the exam is. Also, taking the IELTS Practice Test is a self-evaluation tool. You get to learn about your mistakes at first and then learn from them.
Equally, this IELTS Practice Test is to measure the effectiveness of your study plan and to know how prepared you are to take the real test.
Hence, IELTS Practice Tests will help you learn from your mistakes so that you are able to ace your exam on the first attempt and then achieve a good score.
In the meantime, it is advisable for candidates to only refer to the official site for IELTS Practice Test papers. Those candidates in India should refer to the official British Council or IDP. Or Cambridge Assessment English website for IELTS Practice Test material.
SEE ALSO: What Documents are required for IELTS registration in 2022
Step #4: Get the IELTS Past Question
To be able to succeed in the IELTS examination, candidates are always advised to try out as many IELTS Practice and Past Questions and Answer as possible.
This means there will be a need to get full detailed past questions and answers. As much as you must have engaged yourself in IELTS Practice Test, it will never be the same when you see the past questions and answers.
While a lot of IELTS Practice Test materials are available for free, purchasing the Past Questions and Answers will be better. Because the kind of question you meet in the practice test will never have the same details as the one you purchased.
To get a well-detailed IELTS Past Questions and Answers, all you need to do is to send a message or mail to the contact below and indicate interest
CONTACT DETAILS: 07012040283
EMAIL: info@worldscholarshipforum.com
Step #5: Make Sure to Apply for the IELTS Exam Properly
Basically, the IELTS test is available on 48 fixed dates per year, which is four times a month. This is good because it will give candidates the liberty to choose any of the 28 days for their exams.
Apart from this, it will also give the candidates a chance to reattempt the exam whenever they want. This is because there is no limit on how to take the exam, candidates can retake the exam as many times as possible.
Here are the best steps to register for the IELTS exam
- Visit the official IELTS website.
- Go to the ‘Register for Test’ option.
- Select your preferred test, Test type, and available Test Date in the city.
- Give your personal details
- Give your registration details
- Upload copies of your Passport
- Select the list of colleges where you want to send your Score Report
- Review your details one last time before making a payment
- Pay the IELTS test fee
- Once the payment has been made. Candidates can take a printout of the acknowledgment receipt.
IELTS Exam FAQs
An IELTS Test Report is valid for two years.
The world’s leading test of English language proficiency, IELTS is not difficult in itself. In less than 3 hours, it assesses your abilities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
IELTS is developed to provide a fair and accurate assessment of English language proficiency.
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