Anyone with 9 bands in IELTS
- Thread starter Sunny_Brar_85
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how many scored 9 bands.READING TIPS (i think i got 2 questions wrong):
1. Read the TITLE and anything written in the subtitle. I must have spent at least 2 minutes looking for an answer in the text, but ultimately found it in the line right below the title!
2. Do not use your reason (deduction skills). Do not use your common knowledge. Do not use any piece of information that is not in the text. The biggest challenge is the "not given" vs "true/false." Sometimes, based on your general knowledge, you assume something is false/true when in fact, it is not stated as such in the text. Your mind will try to convince you that it is in fact either true or false. Use only the text. The only way to get good at these is to take a bunch of IELTS official exams (google extremepapers and something should come up). That's the site I used. It looks shady, but it works just fine.
3. Read the first line and last line of each paragraph. I didn't underline anything. I skimmed the first/last line of each paragraph, and then went straight to the question.
4. Unlike the listening component, the answers in the Reading component are not necessarily in order. I had to tell that to someone right before the exam!
LISTENING:
1. There is no secret: practice. The reason you practice is that you learn how your own mind works. This is very important.
2. Learn to predict. Again, this can only come from doing a few practice tests. Prediction is probably the most important factor.
3. DO NOT REVIEW YOUR ANSWERS AT THE END OF THE SECTION. SKIM THE NEXT SECTION. If you've left a question blank, use your best guess. There is no reason to review your answers.
4. I read 2-3 questions in advance, instead of the whole section. Then, using prediction, i was able to stay ahead of the questions.
5. RELAX. Tune yourself into the conversation. The questions near the end are not always given in a simple way. If you keep waiting for the speakers to say a key word, you might miss the answer.
WRITING:
1. Well, I write and edit for a living so I didn't practice this at all. I think writing is very difficult to practice if you don't do it regularly as part of your day to day routine. It would be intimidating for me if I had to memorize words. Unless you have 6 months-1 year to prepare, your writing ability is probably not going to change much from what it is today. If you do have that much time, read the paper and just write for fun.
SPEAKING:
1. I'm a native speaker (born in pakistan but raised in nyc and Canada). However, one tip I do have is that you must speak slowly, and elaborate on your answers. When you have to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic, my topic was "tell me about an open air activity that you do." So, I not only answered the question, but spoke a lot about why I like it, why I may dislike other activities. Basically, don't just answer the question and wait for her. Keep talking. If she interrupts you and tells you time is up for that section, you probably did OK. I don't think they're looking for "correct" answers, but how well you can keep a conversation going. I even asked a couple of clarifying questions (but not in the 1-2 minute speech!). Engage the speaker if you can in the regular question/answer parts.
Be friendly to the speaker and try not to treat it as an exam.
My preparation was 1 week (listening and reading only). I did a total of probably 10 listening exams and 5 or 6 reading sections. Probably spend a total of 10 hours or so over the course of a week.
1. Read the TITLE and anything written in the subtitle. I must have spent at least 2 minutes looking for an answer in the text, but ultimately found it in the line right below the title!
2. Do not use your reason (deduction skills). Do not use your common knowledge. Do not use any piece of information that is not in the text. The biggest challenge is the "not given" vs "true/false." Sometimes, based on your general knowledge, you assume something is false/true when in fact, it is not stated as such in the text. Your mind will try to convince you that it is in fact either true or false. Use only the text. The only way to get good at these is to take a bunch of IELTS official exams (google extremepapers and something should come up). That's the site I used. It looks shady, but it works just fine.
3. Read the first line and last line of each paragraph. I didn't underline anything. I skimmed the first/last line of each paragraph, and then went straight to the question.
4. Unlike the listening component, the answers in the Reading component are not necessarily in order. I had to tell that to someone right before the exam!
LISTENING:
1. There is no secret: practice. The reason you practice is that you learn how your own mind works. This is very important.
2. Learn to predict. Again, this can only come from doing a few practice tests. Prediction is probably the most important factor.
3. DO NOT REVIEW YOUR ANSWERS AT THE END OF THE SECTION. SKIM THE NEXT SECTION. If you've left a question blank, use your best guess. There is no reason to review your answers.
4. I read 2-3 questions in advance, instead of the whole section. Then, using prediction, i was able to stay ahead of the questions.
5. RELAX. Tune yourself into the conversation. The questions near the end are not always given in a simple way. If you keep waiting for the speakers to say a key word, you might miss the answer.
WRITING:
1. Well, I write and edit for a living so I didn't practice this at all. I think writing is very difficult to practice if you don't do it regularly as part of your day to day routine. It would be intimidating for me if I had to memorize words. Unless you have 6 months-1 year to prepare, your writing ability is probably not going to change much from what it is today. If you do have that much time, read the paper and just write for fun.
SPEAKING:
1. I'm a native speaker (born in pakistan but raised in nyc and Canada). However, one tip I do have is that you must speak slowly, and elaborate on your answers. When you have to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic, my topic was "tell me about an open air activity that you do." So, I not only answered the question, but spoke a lot about why I like it, why I may dislike other activities. Basically, don't just answer the question and wait for her. Keep talking. If she interrupts you and tells you time is up for that section, you probably did OK. I don't think they're looking for "correct" answers, but how well you can keep a conversation going. I even asked a couple of clarifying questions (but not in the 1-2 minute speech!). Engage the speaker if you can in the regular question/answer parts.
Be friendly to the speaker and try not to treat it as an exam.
My preparation was 1 week (listening and reading only). I did a total of probably 10 listening exams and 5 or 6 reading sections. Probably spend a total of 10 hours or so over the course of a week.
commentbyiz said:
WOWWWW..........you just gave me new inspiration, thank you......... Im ok at the listening, but realize I capitalize when I dont need to.......could I write my answers in all capital letters?
Hi, there, are you still active here? seeking for some advice for getting IELTS 9 in speaking and writing.